Things Just Get Complicated
by Jenna's Rules
Summary: Things get even more complicated at Blake Holsey when three strangers surprisingly arrive at the Academy, with inner knowledge to the gang. Altered slightly! Explanations before story. FINISHED! Sequel to come ...
1. Prologue

Things Just Get Complicated

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Blake Holsey. Any other mentioned characters belong to me. And although the exact plot is of my own mind, I don't own the idea of an Academy filled with mysterious happenings.

Summary: Things get even more complicated at Blake Holsey when three strangers surprisingly arrive at the Academy, with inner knowledge to the gang. There's added weight to the entire scenario when Josie and Lucas go missing, Vaughn has lapses in memory, and Marshall and Corrine find an interesting link through their minds. And how does a surprise visit from the future tie into everything? Strange days just continue to get stranger at this school.

AN: Okay, just a bit of tidbits. Yes, there will be some romance, but a lot of it will be focused on the only couple I'm really sure of, and actually like, which is Marshall and Corrine. This takes during any time in general, really. Best bet, though, would be sometime in the second season. Also, I like to keep my writing a little clean, so there won't be any of the three S's: slash, sex, and swearing. Well, there might be some swearing, but it will be blocked out, ya know? Anyhoo, please review, kk? It will keep me working. -Jenna

PROLOGUE

Lucas rubbed his eyes tiredly. He'd spent most of the past three hours reading through the large book before him, and still he could come up with nothing. It had gotten dark out some time ago. Outside the old academy the wind was howling fiercely, causing the branches of trees to whip about violently. A storm was brewing not too far off in the distance. Lucas couldn't help it when he jumped after thunder sounded far off. He rubbed his eyes again, looking out the window. With a sigh he slammed the book closed. It was obvious he wasn't going to find what he was looking for tonight.

He stood, walking cautiously to the window and glancing outside. Corrine had mentioned earlier that they were expecting an extreme storm. There was even a chance at a power outage. Not exactly something the teenager wanted. Then again, if the power did go out, so would his clock. Then he'd have an excuse for being late to class. He snorted at the thought. It wouldn't hurt to get the extra sleep. Even when the weekend did come he'd be too busy doing research to get the proper amount of sleep. He should have just told Vaughn no.

A knock outside the door had Lucas looking up. Josie poked her head in, looking around but smiling nervously when she saw Lucas.

"Hey, I was looking for Marshall," She said. "Have you seen him around?"

"I think he mentioned studying down in the library with Corrine," Lucas replied.

"Oh," Josie said. She stood there for a few minutes, thinking, before stepping into the room, closing the door behind her gently. "Is it just me, or does there seem to be something going on between those two?"

"You're _just_ noticing?" Lucas said, sitting back down at his desk. Josie took a seat on Marshall's bed.

"I wish they would admit it already. What's the point of beating around the bush?"

"Rejection?" Lucas suggested, not bothering to look at Josie.

She frowned. "Maybe," she replied. "But they both like each other. Everybody can see it. Why can't they?"

"Josie," Lucas said, faltering. He turned in the seat to look back at her. She had most of her hair down, but some bits were put into swirls, the parts hanging out were crimped. She was wearing her school uniform as usual. He took in a nervous breath. "Sometimes people just … don't see things. Either they're too busy looking in another direction or just … don't want to see."

Josie stood, crossing her arms over her chest and walking over to Lucas with a smirk. "You sound like you're talking out of experience." Lucas sighed, looking back at the book. Josie followed his gaze, her own becoming questioning as she picked up the book. "What's this?"

"A book on black holes. I'm doing some research for a friend," Lucas said quickly, trying to snatch the book back. Josie jerked it away, turning it around.

"A friend? So who is it, Corrine? Marshall, maybe?"

"Not entirely," Lucas said. He snatched the book out of her fingers and put it firmly back on the desk.

Josie smirked. "Well who, then? Not too many people are curious about black holes. You're not doing this for Victor, are you?"

"Of course not!" Lucas said with a sigh. "It's just … complicated. Why were you looking for Marshall?"

Josie frowned. "We're supposed to be working on our report for Z's class. So far I've done all the work."

"That's different," Lucas joked. "Usually Marshall has all work finished off, while you're slacking."

"Sure, rub it in," Josie said. She sat on Lucas' desk. "Have you and Vaughn worked on yours? What was it you guys were doing, again?"

"Malfunctions within the human brain, and no. We've gotten some stuff taken care of, but not much. Vaughn's been really … busy lately."

"Really?" Josie asked. "I hadn't noticed." She glanced across the room, trying to think of a way to change the topic of Vaughn. "Wow, you have a _lot_ of books in here. More than Corrine. You read all of them?"

"Some of them," Lucas replied. He watched as Josie began searching through his books.

"'Prehistoric Creatures'? 'The Paranormal: Fact or Fiction?' Lucas, where do you get this stuff?"

"It could come in handy," Lucas said defensively.

"Whatever."

"I thought you needed to talk to Marshall," Lucas said.

"Trying to get rid of me?"

"No, I just." Lucas frowned. The lights flickered once, twice, before blowing out entirely. "Great."

Josie chuckled. "Got a flashlight?"

"Somewhere around here. Oof!"

"What just happened? Ouch!"

"Trip over the chair?" Lucas asked.

"Bed, actually," Josie replied.

Lucas snagged the flashlight in his hands, quickly turning it on.

"Hey, that's right in my eyes," Josie complained, looking away.

"Sorry," Lucas said, grinning sheepishly as he moved the beam away from Josie's face. He frowned, looking around the room. "You should probably head back to your dorm."

"Like I could see where I'm going," Josie replied. "Look, I was just wondering if …" Josie let out a soft sigh. "You haven't noticed anything off lately, have you?"

"Define off," Lucas said cautiously, moving to the desk and pushing a few things around.

"I don't know," Josie stammered. "I just have this weird feeling. Like ... like something big is going to happen."

"Knowing this school it just might," Lucas grumbled. The light's flickered back on. "Thank god," He muttered.

"So there's nothing?" Josie asked; her hands in her pockets. "I mean, you seem to attract this sort of thing."

"Hey, things started getting really crazy when you showed up," Lucas pointed out.

Josie didn't reply; she just looked out the window. She looked back at Lucas, smirking almost apologetically. "I better go find Marshall, then. See you in class."

"See ya," Lucas called as Josie slipped out. After a few second he flopped back in his chair, dropping his head on the desk. Why was it so hard just to talk to Josie?

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Down in the Science Office the floor began to swirl, the wormhole was active. It didn't stay still for long. After a few seconds of swirling three people jumped out, landing on the floor. The wormhole closed up quickly. Each person looked around cautiously. The only girl narrowed her eyes as she scanned the room. She was dressed in simple jeans and an oversized black t-shirt over a white long-sleeved shirt. Her long dirty blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

The boy beside her was several inches taller, and dressed in the traditional Blake Holsey apparel of plaid pants and a red jacket. His dark brown hair, which was decently trimmed, was spiked slightly. The last person, a smaller boy, was simply wearing jeans and a black hoodie featuring a silver dragon. His reddish brown hair reached his ears, curling a little here and there. His face lit up with realization.

"Whoa ho! I can_not_ believe this. This is awesome!"

"Chillax," The girl said, her dark eyes calculating as everything was absorbed. "We do what is expected of us. Understand? No meddling."

The tall boy shrugged as the girl started for the door, quickly following after her. The last boy frowned after them. "Fun-sucker," He grumbled before following them out.

AN: Hey guys, so what do you think. So, _please_ review, okay? This is my first fic!


	2. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Josie shot up in her bed the next morning. "I'm late!" She exclaimed fearfully.

"Actually, you're awake on time," Corrine replied from the other side of the room, pulling on her Blake Holsey jacket over her shirt.

"I am? I must be sick," Josie said, falling back in the bed.

"What are you doing?" Corrine asked.

"Going back to bed. Wake me up when I'm going to be late," Josie mumbled.

Corrine rolled her eyes, before lacing up her shoes. "You might as well get up now. You didn't bother to do your Math homework last night."

"I didn't!" Josie asked in a panic, sitting up quickly. "Wait, how do you know I didn't?"

"Because I know you," Corrine said with a smirk. "I also asked you what you got as an answer to number fifteen when you were half asleep last night, and you told me you didn't do it."

"Sure, catch me while I'm half asleep," Josie grumbled, climbing out of bed and searching through her clothes.

Corrine let out a soft laugh. "You wouldn't have had to worry about it at all if you had done your homework yesterday," She pointed out. Josie only groaned in reply.

"I'm heading down to breakfast, okay?"

"Fine. I'll meet you there as soon as I … finish my homework. Hey Corrine? Can I copy your -."

"No," The other girl replied, before closing the door. After she had thrown on her uniform Josie started darting around the room trying to find her textbook. Now she _really_ wished she had straightened up her room last night like Corrine had asked her to. She moved over to Corrine's desk to see if that was where she had left the book. Quite unfortunately, no. She let out a disgruntled groan before pulling her textbook out from under a pile of clothes. She quickly filled the homework out, and then darted down to the cafeteria to meet up with her friends.

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"Alright class, today we're going to begin our unit on the human body, starting with the brain. Can anyone tell me the brain's prime function?" Professor Z asked, looking around the room.

Marshall's hand shot up.

"Marshall?"

"It provides communications between the body. Sort of like the command station of the body," He explained.

"Excellent. Can anyone name the four lobes of the brain?" Professor Z asked.

"Frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital," A voice said from the doorway. Everyone turned towards the door to see the owner of the new voice. There stood three teenagers dressed in Blake Holsey High uniforms.

"Eh … who are you?" Professor Z asked in confusion, fiddling with his glasses.

The single girl stepped forward, handing a note to Z. "Transfer students from Stonebridge Academy. It's part of a new program here at Blake Holsey. We'll be staying for a few weeks," She said, flashing a quick smile.

"Oh," Z said, reading quickly through the note. "Well then, um, class, I guess we have new students. Would you like to share with the class -?"

"No," The girl said quickly. For a moment Josie was certain she saw the girl's eyes darken as she looked around the room. But within seconds any trace of the dark look had disappeared, and she was smiling again. "Allow me to introduce myself, then. I'm Jovee Preston."

"Finley Grant," The tall boy who had given the answer said softly.

The short boy gave a little wave. "Douglas Ripley."

"Great. Looks like we've gotten ourselves a new elf. Hear that, Trent?" Madison said from the back of the room.

Josie turned around, temper flaring. "I am not an elf!" She snapped. She blinked, however, when another voice said the same thing. She turned back in her seat to realize the new boy, Douglas, had said it at the same time as her, his fists clenched at his side.

"Freaks," Madison muttered under her breath.

"Madison," Professor Z warned. "Alright, then, why don't you take a seat?"

Douglas moved quickly across the room, taking the empty seat next to Lucas. Finley moved to the far back, and Jovee reluctantly took the last remaining spot next to Stu Kubiak. While they took their seats Z turned back to the projector, fiddling around with it.

"Hey, are you -," Stu started. Without looking, Jovee held her hand up to silence him.

"Don't talk to me," She said.

"Anyone else think they're a little weird?" Josie whispered to Corrine and Vaughn.

"Besides the superiority rolling off that girl, Jovee?" Corrine asked.

"I don't know, guys. She seems okay," Vaughn said.

"She's like a robot," Josie said. "They all are."

"You have to admit, the elf thing _was_ pretty funny," Corrine said, only to receive a glare from Josie.

The red head nibbled thoughtfully on her eraser, studying the back of Douglas' head. "He doesn't look that short to me."

Lucas glanced over at Douglas out of the corner of his eye, to see the boy staring at him intently. "What?" He asked, slightly creeped out.

"Sorry," Douglas replied. "You just look a lot like someone I used to know. I'm Douglas."

"Lucas Randall," The other boy replied, holding out his hand.

Someone jabbed Douglas in the back. He turned back around, looking angrily at the culprit.

"What do you want?" He demanded, meeting Jovee's gaze.

"No talking," She replied.

"Here or there you're still a pain," Douglas muttered under his breath.

"What's up with her?" Lucas asked, looking back at the girl with instant dislike.

"Jovee's a bossy, arrogant cheerleader," Douglas replied.

"Ah," Lucas answered. "That explains _everything_."

Douglas smirked. "I figured it would."

Professor Z stood up. "Marshall, could you get the lights?"

"No problem," Marshall replied, getting up and doing what was asked of him. Professor Z turned the projector on, revealing a drawing of the human brain.

"Alright then. Who can take a lucky guess as to where the medulla is located?"

Both Marshall and Corrine's hands shot up, along with Finley's.

"Alright, Finley," Z said.

"The medulla is located in the stem connecting the brain with the spinal cord. It's in between the cerebellum and hypothalamus. I would say the Pons, except the Medulla and Pons are connected. Might I add as a minor note that the medulla is most commonly responsible for respiration?"

Everyone looked at the quiet boy with surprise, while Z grinned. "Wow. That is correct. You must be ahead of us over at your school."

Finley ducked his head nervously, not enjoying the attention he was receiving. "Yeah, something like that," He murmured.

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Josie quickened her pace to catch up with the others. "Guys!" She called. Corrine stopped, turning around to wait. The others did the same while Josie caught up.

"What was that all about?" Marshall finally asked.

"Z wanted to ask me about our paper. Which we _really_ need to get to work on," Josie said, looking pointedly at Marshall. The other boy nodded with annoyance.

"I know, I know. How about we work on it after last class?" He suggested.

"Randall!" Someone called. The group stopped, turning to see Douglas coming towards them, followed slowly by Finley. He quickened his pace. "Hey," He panted.

"Oh, Douglas. And …?"

"Finley," Douglas filled in quickly. "So I heard you guys were a part of the science club. Any particular thing you have to do to get in?"

The others exchanged nervous glances. "I don't … think so," Lucas said slowly.

"Great! Hey, have you guys studied wormholes yet?"

Corrine's eyes widened in surprise, while Josie blanched. The others looked around nervously.

"Wormholes?" Josie asked. "Why would we talk about those?"

"Douglas is a science geek. Really interested in space," Finley said quietly.

"We'll see you guys later, then? At Science club?" Douglas inquired.

"Yeah," Lucas said, narrowing his eyes at the back of their retreating figures.

"Okay, that was weird," Corrine said.

"You don't think they actually _know_ about -," Marshall started.

"No way," Josie said quickly. "It's just not possible … right?"

"Just coincidence," Vaughn agreed.

Lucas shook his head. "I don't believe in coincidence. There's something weird about those new kids. And I'm going to find out."

"Lucas, stop jumping the conspiracy train, okay? Maybe this Douglas kid really _is_ interested in space. Wormholes occur in space," Josie said.

"Maybe," Lucas relented. He was still watching Douglas and Finley move through the corridors, whispering to each other. Douglas stopped for a minute, and looked back, his eyes meeting Lucas before he disappeared around a corner. "Maybe," He repeated softly, turning back to follow his friends to class.

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CHAPTER TWO

"Okay, so basically the large intestine helps in … breaking down food?" Josie's nose scrunched up with disgust.

"It mainly absorbs water and salt," Marshall replied. Josie groaned, resting her head on the table top.

"Why do Vaughn and Lucas get the _easy_ project?" She muttered.

"This shouldn't take too long, though," Marshall said with a grin. "All the information we need is right here."

"Yeah, well," Josie murmured. She swiveled in her seat to glance out the window. The football team was practicing out on the football field. She could vaguely make out Vaughn's figure as he prepared to throw the football across the field.

"Hey, what are you – oh," Marshall said, catching the glimpse of Vaughn. Josie looked back at him. "Why are you mad at him now?"

"I'm not mad at him," Josie replied.

"Well you're reluctant to speak to him. Even in class you seemed a little edgy," Marshall pointed out. "Did he say something?"

"No. I guess I just had … an epiphany," Josie mumbled, quickly turning the pages of the book in front of her.

"An epiphany?" Marshall asked.

"Yeah. You know, a sudden realization -."

"No, not that. I meant what was your epiphany?"

Josie shrugged. "Whatever, it's not important. What _is_ important is that we finish this research project. The sooner we get it done the less _I_ have to worry about it."

"If you say so," Marshall said with a shrug. "So you mentioned you got some stuff done."

"I started the introduction," Josie said, looking hopeful. "Oh, and I got some of these notes. Here." She handed him the paper with little stuff scribbled across.

"Thanks. Now I just need a decoder," Marshall joked, looking over the sheet. Josie narrowed her eyes at him.

"Hey, how's the paper coming?" Lucas asked, approaching the two.

"It's okay," Marshall said.

"It would be going better if we stayed on topic," Josie replied.

"I saw Corrine in the halls a few minutes ago," Lucas said to Marshall. "She says Z thinks we need to have an important meeting."

"When?" Josie asked.

"How's twenty minutes?"

"I've got no problem with it," Josie said.

"What about our paper?" Marshall asked.

Josie snorted. "I welcome the distraction."

"So I've noticed."

"Oh Lucas, I found this for you," Josie said, handing some pages across the table. Lucas took them, looking them over. "For that research you're doing. Hope it helps your friend."

"What friend?" Marshall asked.

"Lucas is gathering information on wormholes for … someone. Hey, you're not getting this stuff for that Ripley kid, are you?" Josie asked.

"No," Lucas said quickly, tucking the papers away in his notebook. "I just met him today, remember? Anyways, this stuff looks interesting. I'm gonna have to look it over later tonight."

"No one's going to answer me, are they?" Marshall grumbled.

"How's your paper going?"

Lucas snorted. "No progress from yesterday. I'm hoping to work on it later today. After Z's meeting. I really hope this is as important as Corrine was making it out to be."

"I feel so left out," Marshall murmured.

"Well I better head out. Durst said she wanted to see me in her office … for some really strange reason," Lucas said, getting up. "I'll see you guys in Science Club, okay?"

"See ya," Marshall said, waving at his friends back.

"Later," Josie said.

Marshall frowned, turning back to Josie. "Did any of that conversation make sense to you?"

"Why wouldn't it?" Josie replied, beginning to sift through the textbook again.

Marshall shook his head. "Never mind."

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Josie rushed quickly into Professor Z's room, Marshall was right behind her. "Sorry we're so … late?"

"Hey guys," Douglas said, waving his arm. Jovee rolled her eyes, leaning back in her chair, while Finley offered up a small smile. Corrine was murmuring with Z while Lucas had his head down on the table. Vaughn hadn't shown up yet.

"Whoa," Josie said. "What's with the new kids?"

The girl sat up, glancing over at Z before replying. "Principal Durst thought it would be an excellent idea for my companions and me to follow Lucas around for the day – to get a taste of our new, temporary, school." She sounded kind, yet at the same time mocking. What an unusual combination.

"It's okay," Douglas said, grinning. "We know all about the science club."

Josie nodded slowly, before finishing her trek into the room, Marshall right behind her. He took a seat next to Lucas. "So that's what Durst wanted to see you about."

"Mghffh," Lucas mumbled from the table.

Corrine turned around. "Where's Vaughn?"

"Football," Jovee and Marshall said at the same time. Everyone looked at the girl, who simply grinned.

"Someone mentioned he was on the football team. I saw them practicing outside," She said innocently.

"We'll just have to go on without him, then," Professor Z said, glancing at the new students. "Maybe Lucas, you could …"

"Anyone for a tour of the school?" Lucas inquired, sitting up.

Douglas propped his foot on the lab table. "Not me. I'm _very_ interested in hearing this. So what's the news, Professor Z?"

"Don't start that again," Jovee grumbled looking at her nails.

"I'll go with you," Finley said, standing up slowly.

"That's okay," Lucas muttered, sitting back down when he realized he wasn't going to get the group out that easily. "I can give it to you later."

"So when are we going to get the show on the road? We've been here for about -," Douglas glanced at his watch. "Six minutes. What are we going to learn about today?"

Corrine and Josie shared a frustrated look.

"Alright, then," Z said slowly, moving to his chalkboard. "Today we'll be continuing our unit that we started in class on the body."

"Yawn," Douglas said.

"Do you mind not doing that? Every time you open your mouth something _unwanted_ comes out," Jovee snapped.

"Was I talking to you?"

"There's something severely wrong with those two," Corrine murmured to Josie.

"Must be an old rivalry or something," Josie replied, looking unsure.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late. Did we -?" Vaughn froze, looking around the room in the same quizzical manner Josie had earlier. "Guests?"

"Lucas was put on new kid duty," Marshall explained.

"Oh great, _he's_ here," Douglas muttered.

"Will you cut it out?" Jovee demanded, now looking angrily at the other boy.

"How about _both_ of you cut it out," Finley suggested.

"Guys," Professor Z said quickly. "Take a seat, Vaughn. Looks like we're continuing our work from class."

"No need to stop your regulars just for us," Douglas said.

"Oh, you know what?" Jovee demanded.

"Outside?" Douglas suggested, looking unfazed by her glare.

"Most definitely. Let's go," Jovee said. The two quickly got up and disappeared on the other side of the door.

"Looks like trouble," Finley said, getting up quickly. "We'll be back." Then he, too, moved outside.

"Okay, I'm getting serious vibes from those guys," Josie said.

"They _definitely_ know something," Lucas agreed.

"No time for that. Look, before they come back I have something I think might interest you guys," Professor Z.

"What is it?"

"Last night, just after the blackout, there was a swell of energy in the science office," He said.

"You think the wormhole was opened?" Marshall asked.

Lucas shifted nervously. "You don't think that -." His head gestured towards the door.

"Oh, no," Professor Z said quickly. "There's no reason to think that at all. I'm not even certain if the wormhole did open up. I just know that there was an extreme surge of energy. It was measured here." He took out a few papers and handed it around, the group looking through them thoughtfully. So what unusual thing was going to happen this week at Blake Holsey?


	3. Chapter 2

AN: Thanks to my two reviewers, OthDegrassifan1817, and optimistic girl94!

OthDegrassifan1817: Ha Ha! Degrassi fan? Nah, I'm not poking fun. Honestly, I wouldn't mind Degrassi at all if it wasn't to depressing and … dramatic. Just overdoes the 'real life scenarios'. They're creative and everything, but still a bit depressing, lol. It's just funny cuz even though I don't really like the show, my best friend loves it, so it just sorta reminded me of that. Anyhoo, I'm glad you like the story. I'm definitely going to try and finish this fic so nobody should have to wait too long for updates :) (Again, don't take it personally. I just thought it was sorta funny is all) Thanks for the review, hope to hear from you again.

Optimistic girl94: Yeah, I've just started getting into the show, too. What depresses me is how it definitely looks like they're not going in the Lucas/Josie direction, lol. I love Lucas! He's just too cute! How could Josie not like that? LOL. As for Marshall and Corrine … well that should be an obvious, lol. They're just too cute together. Thanks for the review, hope to hear from you again.

Hottietom: Thanks! Glad you like the story so far :) What do you mean, do I like Lucas or Vaughn better? Come on, just look at Lucas! He's so cute! And so loveable/adorable. I think the whole Josie/Vaughn meant for each other plot is so annoying. Although I can actually see them together and everything, they sort of fit. I just feel sorry for Lucas, lol. Glad someone seems to agree with me. Thanks for the review!

Unleashmysoul: Wow, that is a very descriptive guess. Just curious – who is Joice? Was she on the show, or did you make her up? confuzzled! Glad you like the story so far! Thanks for the review!

CHAPTER TWO

Jovee pushed Douglas angrily against the wall. "Do you not think?" She demanded.

He pushed her away from him with extreme strength. "You didn't say keep quiet!" He huffed.

"I said no meddling. That should _OBVIOUSLY_ mean _KEEP QUIET_!" Jovee snapped.

"Hey, keep it down," Finley said, gesturing to the door. Jovee let go of Douglas and turned around, walking a few paces to the opposite side of the hall. She then turned back.

"Do you want to mess everything up, Douglas?"

"Of course not! It would only mean trouble for all of us," He snapped. "I know what I'm doing."

"I don't think you do," Jovee replied. "If you knew what you were doing then -."

"Did you plan all of this out _BEFORE_ we went through the wormhole?" Douglas asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Because I think you knew what you were doing long before the idea was even suggested."

"That's ridiculous. No one knows how to control the wormhole," Jovee snapped.

"Lucky guess, then?" Douglas inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"I am _not_ having this conversation with you, Douglas."

"You started it."

"Could you two go without fighting for ten minutes? _TEN_ minutes?" Finley demanded. "Now before we head back into that room – _PEACEFULLY_ – assure me that you got the books."

"They're in my room. Found them right where Katrina said we would," Jovee said calmly.

"Good. Because that is going to be important if you want to set this all up right," Douglas said. "Make sure to put one next to Josie's bed, and one next to Lucas'."

"I know what I'm -."

"So do I," Finley interrupted. "Most importantly, so does Douglas. Are we ready to shake this school up?"

"This school was shook up _LONG_ before we arrived," Jovee murmured under her breath as they started back for the science lab.

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Lucas collapsed on his bed, extremely exhausted.

"Hey, where have you been?" Marshall asked, looking up from the book he was reading.

Lucas turned and looked darkly at him. "Two word: New Kids," He said. Marshall snorted and Lucas simply groaned. "You know, in some ways they actually seem to know all about the school. Then in other ways they just … they're suspicious."

"You think everyone and everything's suspicious," Marshall reminded him.

"I'm serious. Get this – when I showed them the school pool, that Douglas kid asked if I ever saw anything funny in there."

That got Marshall's attention. He looked sharply at his friend. "He did? What did you tell him?"

"I didn't know _WHAT_ to say," Lucas replied. "It was really weird."

"Everything's weird at Black Hole High," Marshall replied. "Well was there anything else?"

"There was little stuff," Lucas said. "You know, little bits here and there. The girl, Jovee, she kept talking about Z's office. Had some weird questions about the tiling, of all things. Douglas asked a bit about Magnet 360."

"Really? How do they know about the band?" Marshall asked.

"I'm not sure. I guess they could have heard someone mention it, but …"

"But what?"

"They seemed like they _REALLY_ knew it. Jovee even admitted that she loved the band's music, and you're still working on your first song," Lucas pointed out.

"We just finished it yesterday," Marshall admitted slowly, a weird look coming over his face. "What else was there?"

Lucas frowned. "They were talking a bit about Josie and Corrine."

"Corrine?" Marshall asked, sitting up. "Like what?"

"Well first they were talking about robots, so I mentioned about how Josie had a robot that went haywire, and you and me got to use ours to destroy it. Then Douglas says something about how it sounded like Josie, and how he'd want some music to go along with the carnage if he were to go on a rampage like that."

"Okay, that's _REALLY_ weird," Marshall said.

"Yeah, then Jovee started talking with Finley about the class elections at their school, and Douglas asked if Corrine had ever run for class president," Lucas said.

"What else?"

"Just some stuff here and there. I just don't get how they could know all that."

"What if they did come through the wormhole, like you suggested earlier?" Marshall said.

"It still doesn't explain how they would know all that stuff. I'm thinking maybe they've been … monitoring us for some time."

"Lucas," Marshall said, irritation in his voice. "If you're going to again suggest the aliens theory, then I'm going to have to leave the room."

"Think about it, though," Lucas said. "Maybe they _ARE_ aliens."

"That's it, you're going a bit too far," Marshall said.

"Maybe," Lucas said, falling back on his bed. "It's just too curious. Who are they, and how do they know so much about us?"

"What is their secret," Marshall said jokingly.

"Yea," Lucas said softly. The two fell silent for a few moments before there was a knock at the door. Lucas sat up, glancing at Marshall in confusion when Douglas slowly opened the door, stepping in.

"Hey Lucas," He said.

"Hey," Lucas said uneasily, sharing a look with Marshall. "Douglas. What's up?"

"Nothing," The boy said with an easy shrug. "Oh, I got you a book. I thought you might be interested in it."

"Really?" Lucas said. He took the book out of his hands and looked it over.

"So Douglas, where exactly was your old school?" Marshall asked.

"Michigan," Douglas replied, looking at him.

"Did you like it there?"

"It was alright. Blake Holsey's better, though. A lot more interesting, if you ask me. Just the atmosphere alone …" He trailed off, glancing back at Lucas.

"This is cool. Where did you find it?" Lucas asked, looking up.

"Around. I thought you might like it," Douglas said.

"What is it?" Marshall asked, looking over.

"A book I've been wanting to read. '_Shadow Planes_'. Thanks Douglas, I can't wait to get started."

Douglas shrugged good naturedly. "No problem. I just wanted to say thanks for showing us around, earlier. And apologize for getting in the way."

"You weren't in the way," Lucas said quickly.

"No, I know we were. You wanted to hang with your friends in science club today without us around. It's no problem. Anyways, I hope you find it worth reading. I know I did," Douglas said. He started for the door, but Marshall stopped him.

"Hey, did you want to hang around, for a little bit?" He asked.

"Ah, no. I sort of told Finn I'd work with him on his homework," Douglas said quickly.

"Are you sure?" Lucas asked, looking up from the book. "It seems to me like Finley knows everything there is to know."

"Yeah, what's with that kid?" Marshall asked.

"Oh, he gets it from his parents. They're major genius'," Douglas said.

"You guys seem kind of close. Like best friends," Marshall acknowledged.

Douglas shrugged. "Not really. Finley and I are just involved in a lot of the same stuff. Plus we've known each other since we were really little."

"Oh," Lucas said.

"You guys are best friends, though, right?" Douglas asked, looking interested.

"Yeah. We've known each other for a while," Marshall replied.

"How long have you known Corrine, Josie, and Vaughn?" Douglas asked.

Lucas frowned at the question. "We've known Corrine and Vaughn since we started attending. We met Josie when she transferred here," He said.

_Again with the weird questions. Just when you thought the guy was normal_, Marshall thought.

Douglas looked across the room thoughtfully. "I've known Jovee since she was little, too. We never could get along, though."

"Why is that? Every ten seconds you two were arguing about something," Lucas said with interest.

"It runs in the family, I guess," Douglas replied. He sighed. "I better be going, then."

"You sure you don't want to hang out?"

"I … No, I probably shouldn't. I'll see you guys tomorrow," Douglas said, quickly taking his leave.

Marshall looked at Lucas. "I _TOLD_ you there was something funny about him," Lucas said.

"Seems okay to me," Marshall murmured.

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"Hey, Lucas," Vaughn said, approaching him from behind later the next day.

"Hey," Lucas replied grumpily.

"What's wrong?" Vaughn asked.

"I was just up late last night. Working on _our_ project. Remember it?" Lucas asked.

"Yea, I know. Sorry about that. How much have you gotten done?" Vaughn asked.

"It's finished," Lucas reluctantly admitted.

"Really? What was the malfunction we focused mainly on?" Vaughn asked.

"Memory loss," Lucas replied.

"Well what about that stuff I asked you to get for me?"

Lucas stopped and began digging through his folders. "It's all right here. Everything you needed. Josie even contributed a little to it," Lucas said.

"She did?" Vaughn asked; looking over the stuff Lucas had given him. "You didn't tell her it was for me, did you?"

"No. I still don't understand why, though," Lucas said.

"I told you – I need to know everything I can about the wormhole. Hey, do you think we could go over this stuff later? You know?"

"I have everything else to do right now, Vaughn," Lucas said with a sigh. "I could try to squeeze it in, though."

"Thanks," Vaughn said, patting him on the back. "Thanks a lot. Oh, hey, have you seen Josie around?"

Lucas winced. "Not exactly," He said. "She wasn't in drama."

"I don't think she's going to be in Z's, either. You think she's okay?" Vaughn asked.

"Corrine mentioned she was skipping," Lucas replied, moving his glasses around thoughtfully.

"Z's not going to like that," Vaughn said with a laugh.

"Probably not," Lucas agreed. The two turned into their science class. Corrine and Marshall were sitting next to each other, whispering while looking through a notebook.

"Hey guys," Vaughn said, taking a seat in front of them. Lucas followed his movements, sitting down next to him.

"Hey, Josie still skipping?" He asked.

"Yea, I think so," Corrine replied. "She's really into this new book that she got. I guess Jovee gave it to her yesterday."

"Then I told her about how Douglas gave you a book yesterday, too," Marshall said.

"I doubt there's any connection," Lucas replied.

"Have you started reading it yet?" Marshall asked.

"Wait, what book?" Vaughn asked.

"No, I didn't have the time to start reading it yet. And the book's called 'Shadow Planes'," Lucas filled in.

"That's the same title of the book Jovee gave Josie," Corrine said.

"Really?" Lucas asked with interest. "I didn't know Josie was interested in that kind of book."

"That's the thing, usually she isn't. Now she's absorbed in the book. Josie said that when Jovee stopped by to give it to her, Jovee told her that the book was a gift," Corrine said.

"From Jovee?" Vaughn asked in confusion.

"No," Corrine said. "From herself."

Vaughn and Lucas blinked. "What?" Lucas finally asked.

"Exactly," Corrine said.

"I've gotta admit, Lucas, that wormhole theory you had is beginning to sound more and more logical," Marshall said.

"I'm thinking we need to talk to Z," Corrine replied.

"Come on guys, think this over," Vaughn said. "It just doesn't make any sense. So the girl said the book was a gift from Josie. Maybe she was just messing around."

"Lucas, explain to him what you told me yesterday," Marshall said.

"They know stuff about us. SCIENCE CLUB stuff."

"Really?" Vaughn asked. "Well maybe they-." He faltered. "Alright, you have a really good point."

"So what do we do? Should we confront them?" Marshall asked.

"Let's just give it a little longer," Corrine said logically. "Just so that we're sure, agreed?"

"Agreed," The others chorused.

"Good. Now does anyone think we should be worried about Josie?"

"What can a book do?" Vaughn countered. "It's probably just really interesting. Besides, Josie skips all the time for no real reason."

"True," Lucas agreed. The conversation stopped there as Finley, Jovee, and Douglas walked in.

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At the very end of class Vaughn turned to Lucas. "Hey, do you think I could look through our paper?" He asked. "Just so I have a vague idea as to what we wrote about."

"Sure. Just don't lose it," Lucas replied, taking out the little packet and handing it to Vaughn. At the same time as Vaughn took the papers Marshall and Corrine bent down to get their stuff, bumping heads. Pink electricity shot glimmered around the three unbeknownst to them, and then vanished.

Corrine blinked a few times, rubbing her head while Vaughn tucked the papers into his notebook. Marshall frowned, looking around.

_I should have looked where I was going,_ Thought Marshall.

"Maybe you should have," Corrine snapped. _It's okay. Calm down, it was just an accident._

"If it was just an accident why do you seem so upset?" Marshall demanded. Both were looking at each other with confusion.

"Okay, what going on with you two?" Lucas asked.

Corrine looked uncertain_. Marshall, can you hear me?_

_Yeah. Can you hear me?_

Corrine nodded her head unsurely.

"Guys?" Lucas demanded.

"Why are you staring at each other all funny?" Vaughn inquired.

_Should we tell them?_ Marshall asked.

_No, not yet,_ Corrine decided. _Let's try to make sure we both haven't gone insane, first._

_Right_, Marshall thought, rolling his eyes. He turned to Lucas. "Sorry, just fazed out," He told him.

"Yeah, must have been that bump," Corrine said quickly. _One really large bump._ Marshall looked at her.

"You sure?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, we're fine," Corrine assured him.

"Good. So we're all meeting during lunch, then? Z's room?"

"Yep," Marshall said.

"See you then!" Lucas called, moving quickly out of the room. Vaughn stayed behind for a moment, studying the two before him. Then his face fell into confusion.

"What just happened?" He asked them.

"Nothing," Marshall said. "You okay? You look really pale."

"I'm fine," Vaughn said quickly, though his confused look didn't go away. He cautiously turned around and moved out of the room, leaving Corrine and Marshall. They both looked at each other.

_Can you hear me now?_ Marshall asked.

_Yes_.

_Oh man. We're in trouble_. Corrine nodded her head in agreement before the two continued out of the room, Z watching the group of them with uncertainty.

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"Josie's halfway through the book," Finley reported softly. He stood in the middle of Jovee's bedroom, watching her back as he gave the report she'd asked for. "Corrine just pulled her away from her room to meet everyone downstairs for lunch. An important meeting, I guess."

"And Lucas?" Jovee inquired, glancing at him.

"He just started reading," Finley said. He turned around, as if to leave the room, but stopped, looking back. "Jovee … you didn't -. Yesterday when Douglas said that you knew … did you?"

"No," Jovee said, turning reluctantly from the window to see him. "You and I both know we can't control the wormhole. Maybe I knew something was going to happen. Maybe I had a vague idea we would come here, now, of all places. But I didn't _know_, in all aspects of the word. It was more like … hoped."

Finley stepped closer uncertainly. "You wanted it to open, then?"

Jovee turned quickly away. "Everyone wants something interesting to happen."

"But Jovee, after we do everything, how do we get home?" Finley demanded, raising his voice for the first time. It was a rarity with the quiet genius.

"I don't know," She snapped. "I just figured the wormhole will take us back."

"And what if it doesn't. Have you ever thought we'd be stuck here? We could end up just like you-know-who. We could have no way back."

Jovee winced. "Worst comes to worst we'll ask the others for help."

Finley's jaw clenched uncertainly. "This was all a mistake," He murmured, causing Jovee to bite her lower lip.

"We're doing Douglas a favor by being here."

"No, we're not. Jovee, this is _wrong_. We shouldn't have even begun to meddle," Finley said. "In _anything_."

"Anything, Finley? Weren't you the one who said whatever happened, everything that went on, it was our duty to work with it?" Jovee demanded.

"Well I was wrong. You're not doing Douglas any good by bringing him here, not now, not ever. I _know_ you knew what you were doing when you went through that wormhole. I don't know how you knew, but _you're_ the one who brought us here. If you think you were doing Douglas a favor - lord knows why _you_ would want to - then you need to think again, because there is more to all of this than we know. More than anyone knows! We can't just interfere with the timeline. It's been fun Jovee. It's been a blast. But you need to figure out a way to get us out of this place before your plans backfire." Finley's face was full of frustration. It was full of frustration and despair.

"I'll get us back," Jovee said. "But not until we're finished here. I at least owe Douglas _that_ much."

"Fine," Finley relented. "Fine. Just do it quickly."

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Josie blinked a few times, looking around the room. "You can't be serious."

_Great, she thinks we're joking_, Marshall thought angrily.

_I have enough problems with my own thoughts at the moment_, Thought Corrine, glancing at Marshall as her mind ran through any sorts of answers to what the new kids were up to – if anything. She and Marshall had finally accepted that they were actually reading each other's mind. The only problem with it at the moment was trying to keep it under control. Marshall heard every thought Corrine had, and vice-versa. Right at this moment they had just filled Josie in on what they knew about Finley, Jovee, and Douglas. And apparently she thought the idea to be ridiculous.

"Look, Josie, why _couldn't_ they have come through the wormhole?" Lucas countered.

Josie looked around for a minute, studying each face in the room, before falling into a chair. "Oh man," She muttered. "So what do we do?"

"Well we've decided not to confront them," Corrine said.

_You decided. We just sort of went along_, Marshall thought.

_I'm not listening to you_. At this Marshall grinned.

Josie caught the look. "What's going on with you?" She asked, looking at Marshall uncertainly. Both Vaughn and Lucas looked in the same direction.

"He and Corrine have both been sort of … off," Lucas said slowly.

_Listen to them talk about us like we're not here_, Corrine said.

_I don't know. I find this situation rather amusing_.

_You won't once I start picking up on your private thoughts_.

"Guys?" Josie asked, waving her arm in front of their faces.

_Why does she have to do that_?

Corrine resisted a shrug when she overheard Marshall's thought. "Let's stay focused here. We're concerned about the wormhole."

_I love how she keeps everything under control_. Then Marshall blushed, looking at Corrine, who also seemed a little embarrassed after hearing the thought. After all, you just can't control your random thoughts.

"Whatever you say," Josie said, sitting back.

"So what do we do about it?" Vaughn finally asked.

"We try to get as close to them as we can," Lucas said softly. "They already know a lot about us. And Douglas is eager to hang out. We let them in, get to know them. There isn't any point in beating around the bush."

"Good idea," Josie said, nodding her head.

"Where do we start?" Marshall inquired.

"Now?" Lucas suggested.


	4. Chapter 3

AN: Thanks to my reviewers, Hottietom and Jarcielle36. Also, note to everyone: I'll be compressing the chapters tomorrow. So it may seem like the chapters are less, but they're still the way they originally went, only there will be less. Am I making any sense? ;P

Hottietom:D Yeah, another Lucas lover! wipes away a tear I'm just so happy, lol. Okay, for your number one thingy: Just a little filler chapter revealing a little bit about things. By now I'm sure we all know the trio somehow knows the Science Club. So some insight as to their evil plots (I just love that statement) is worth a small chapter. As for number two: Ha Ha. Sorry it's dragging so much. I've gotten so used to making myself drag things out as if it were a real story, that I'm having trouble jumping quickly to the fun stuff. But I'm gonna compress some chapters so they don't seem too drawling, lol

Jarcielle36: Aren't Marshall and Corrine cute, though? I mean, I wish they seemed to have more of a thing in the show. There's just not enough Marshall and Corriness! I'm flattered that you'd take time out like that to read my fic! I know I used to do that for a bunch of fics I read a while back before vacation, lol. Keep up the reviews, lol!

CHAPTER THREE

"Hang out?" Finley repeated uncertainly. "I don't know."

"It should be fun. We'd love to hear more about your old school and stuff. Plus I could catch you up on the news here," Marshall said with a grin.

"What do you say?" Corrine inquired. _Please say yes_.

_You sound anxious_.

_The sooner we get an answer to all this, the better_.

Finley looked between the two. "I don't know," He repeated. He seemed suspicious of the two friendly faces before him, even guarded. "Where are the others?"

"Vaughn's at football practice and Lucas is upstairs. Josie's in her room," Corrine replied. _Reading that book. Her and Lucas both interested in the same story?_

_Maybe it's just that good_, Marshall suggested.

"Don't you guys have science club or something?"

"No, not today," Corrine said. "So you up for it?"

"You're not trying to con me, are you?" Finley inquired.

_This kid is good_.

_And blunt._ "Why would we want to con you?" Marshall asked.

Finley shrugged. He moved along the corridor, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. It seemed to both Corrine and Marshall that he was running over their proposal, but in actuality his mind was running through the fight he'd had with Jovee earlier that day. He stopped, turning back to the duo. Why not try to get to know the famous two when he had the chance. See how they went from the teens they were today to the people they'll become later on. If Douglas could take advantage of this trip, and Jovee was getting as much out of it as _she_ could, why couldn't he.

Finley grinned. "Alright. What did you have in mind?"

Corrine pulled out a sheet of paper. "Alright, I figure if we get started right now, we'd have an hour to study and do our homework for tomorrow. Then after that we can have another hour for free activities. When that's finished we could -."

Finley groaned. "You can_not_ be serious."

_Is she crazy? Nobody schedules their life like that_.

Corrine shot Marshall a dirty look. "I do."

"You do what?" Finley asked, looking at her with amusement.

_Now who's messing up?_

_I wasn't the one who screamed out to the entire math class that you weren't breathing down my back about the right answers_, Corrine thought back.

_I thought we agreed to let that one go. Fine, we're tied._

"I do … schedule my days, that is. Sometimes. I'm just a little nervous. We could do what you want, though. Any suggestions?" She asked.

Finley leaned against the wall, watching as several kids moved quickly around the halls in a hurry to get to their destinations. Bees – that's what they reminded him of. The school itself was one crazy beehive of activity – constant activity. Now he wished he could actually have been there when Madison took over the school with pheromones. No doubt it would have been amazing.

"Let's just talk," He said.

"Talk? That's … it?" Marshall said.

_Funny, he sort of hits the mind as the quiet type_.

Finley shrugged. "Nobody just talks anymore. If we're going to hang out, we should get to know each other a little. Hi, I'm Finley Grant, and I'll be your new friend, today."

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"…Stand there!"

It was the only thing that really got Vaughn's attention at the ball hurtling towards him at such an intense speed. He ducked out of the way, falling to the ground in surprise before glancing down at himself. Hadn't he just been heading out to the football field? How did he manage to get from the back door to the football field – wearing his uniform and apparently in the middle of practice?

"Pearson! What do you call that?" His coach demanded angrily, stomping over to the blond haired boy.

"I -." Vaughn stalled for a minute. Truth was he didn't know. He'd just blacked out – for the second time that day! The first time hadn't been too weird because it had only been for a few moments – taking the papers from Lucas and then he'd been looking at Corrine and Marshall. That could easily be passed off as daydreaming. At least, that's what he'd told himself. Now he wasn't so sure.

He glanced at his watch. Now there had been an hour amount of time lost! He turned to his coach uncertainly. "I guess I'm just having an off day," He said slowly.

"You aren't allowed off days, Pearson. You can't _afford_ off days, do you understand?" His coach demanded.

"Yeah, I do," Vaughn said quickly. "I'll do better tomorrow, I promise."

"You'd better," The coach growled. He glanced down at his own watch, and then nodded. "Alright, boys. Let's head out!"

Vaughn stood from the ground hesitantly, his eyes searching the field. He half expected to see someone watching him. When he found nothing out of the ordinary, he just continued along. He considered the possibility of talking with Z about the blackouts, but then decided against it. He was certain it wouldn't happen again.

He turned into the school and started down the hall, lost in his thoughts. He didn't have any time to move out of the way when he crashed into a figure. Both stopped, looking at each other.

"Douglas?" Vaughn asked with confusion. The small boy narrowed his eyes.

"Move," He said simply. When Vaughn simply stood there, he turned to make around him. The taller boy grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Hey, where are you going?" He asked.

"Out," The short kid replied quickly.

"Any particular place?" Vaughn countered.

"None of your business. Now let me go," Douglas snapped.

Vaughn did as he was asked, turning around to watch as Douglas stomped off. He rubbed his back thoughtfully, wondering what had made the boy so upset. He shrugged it off before starting up to his room, once again pulled into his thoughts, Douglas forgotten.

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Finley glanced at his watch with a chuckle. "So – so then Douglas said, 'What? I didn't do it'."

Both Corrine and Marshall started laughing as well. They had been talking for the past two hours, and despite themselves they had forgotten they were trying to get information from him. To them, it seemed as if they had been friends forever.

"What did Jovee say?" Marshall asked, holding his breath for the reply.

"She didn't say anything. She sucked in her breath and didn't let it out till her face turned purple. When she finally let it out she started nagging him about responsibility," Finley said.

The two snickered. "Sounds like he deserved it, though," Corrine said.

"He did," Finley said with a grin. They all calmed down for a minute, just trying to relax.

Finally, Marshall said, "Sounds like you guys had a blast at your old school."

"Yeah, Blake Holsey's a blast," Finley said.

Both Corrine and Marshall frowned.

_He did just say Blake Holsey, right?_ Corrine asked.

_Guess they definitely came through the wormhole._

Finley frowned. "What's wrong? What did I just say?" He replayed the words in his mind, and then his face darkened.

"You said Blake Holsey," Corrine said.

Finley stood up quickly, looking like he was just going to walk away.

_Do something!_ Corrine hissed.

Marshall looked at her, uncertainly, and then shot up, grabbing on to Finley's arm and tugging him back to sit with them. "Look, Finley, you don't need to hide it. We – me and Corrine – already knew you came through the -." At this Marshall lowered his voice just in case. "Wormhole."

"You do?" Finley asked. The others nodded. Finley's head slumped down. "It was Douglas, wasn't it?"

"Sort of," Corrine said. "It's okay, we know all about this sort of thing. _I've_ been through the wormhole myself."

"Really?" Finley asked. Of course, he already knew that. He knew everything about the Science Club – had made it his business to know. But maybe he would get off easy if he pretended not to.

"Yeah! And you know, there's other things that happen here at Blake Holsey than just the wormhole," Corrine said.

"I know!" Finley exclaimed excitedly. "My friends and I are trying to solve the mystery of Blake Holsey High."

"Us too!" Marshall said. Then his face fell. "Wait, what time period do you come from?"

Finley frowned. "A couple years in the future. Z's still our teacher. We were in the middle of a debate when the wormhole opened up and took me, Jovee, and Douglas," He explained.

"Z's still teaching?" Corrine asked. "Then it couldn't be too far in the future."

"So tell me, Finley, who wins the 2004 World Series?" Marshall asked.

"Nice try," Finley said with a grin. "Besides, I'm not into sports. That's more of a Katrina thing."

"So that's how you knew all those things about us, then. Z told you, right?" Corrine asked.

"Yeah. You guys do a lot of cool things," Finley said with admiration.

"But we obviously don't solve the mystery of Blake Holsey," Marshall said, his voice soft and slightly depressed. Corrine felt a little depressed at this too.

"Well… no. I don't think anyone will ever _truly_ understand everything that goes on at Blake Holsey," Finley said slowly. "There's just so much that we'll never know. But you guys did get pretty close!"

"So … have you ever met us?" Marshall asked.

"A couple of times," Finley said with a shrug.

"So what do we do? What's in our futures?" Corrine asked.

_He's not going to tell us_.

Finley started laughing. "I don't think so. If I tell you your future, you could change everything, and I happen to like things the way they are, thank you. And you will too – when you get there. Just trust me on it."

"Fine," Marshall said, a little dejected. _I bet Corrine and I aren't even together_. Corrine glanced at him, but acted as if she hadn't heard the thought.

"So …" Finley started. "Do the others know? About us coming through the wormhole?"

"Yeah. Lucas sort of told everyone," Marshall said.

"Busted. I don't think I like this," Finley murmured.

"We won't tell the others, though," Corrine said softly.

"We won't?"

Corrine looked at Marshall, hitting his foot under the table. "We won't. In the meantime we can try and help you get your way back through the wormhole."

"Not yet," Finley said quickly. Then added, after Corrine and Marshall's strange looks, "We may have come here unwillingly, but Jovee's sort of … working on something here. Nothing bad, just speeding things up a little bit. I can't say much; just that it won't be too long until we can finally go back through the wormhole."

"Okay," Marshall said slowly. "But how do you think you'll get through the wormhole?"

"I _hope_ it will open. I don't mind being here too much – getting to know you guys and everything – but I want to go home. No doubt Katrina and Nathaniel are worried about us."

"Who?" Corrine asked, unable to help her curiosity.

"The other members of the Science Club. Yea, you guys sort of start something with this Science Club thing," Finley said.

"Wow," Marshall said, looking at Corrine with a small smile.

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Everyone was a little shocked when they saw Marshall, Finley, and Corrine walked down to breakfast, laughing. Lucas seemed slightly concerned, Vaughn seemed uncertain, Josie's jaw had fallen open, Jovee seemed angry, and Douglas was grinning happily.

"What are they doing?" Josie asked.

"Looks like they're having a conversation," Vaughn pointed out.

"Weren't we all worried that they came through the wormhole? I'm confused."

"We were. Now? I'm not too sure," Lucas replied.

They watched as the group separated, Finley approaching Jovee and Douglas, while Marshall and Corrine walked up to the rest of the science club.

"Okay, spill," Josie said as soon as they sat down.

"What?" Corrine asked, confused.

_You know very well what she meant_.

_Maybe I did. But we told Finley we'd keep his secret._

_Exactly _how_ do you expect to keep his secret?_

_I'm not sure_.

_Alright, I have an idea_. Marshall took a spoonful of food, swallowed it down, and then looked around the room. "Guys, we don't have to worry. They didn't come through the wormhole at all."

"You asked him?" Lucas asked with surprise.

"No, it's just that everything checks out," Marshall lied quickly. "I checked out their records – and trust me on this, getting into the permanent records are _hard_. It turns out that the group transferred here from H.E. Molton boarding school in Michigan. It's a part of some temporary transfer program – just like they said. Then when we asked Finley some stuff about what Lucas was asked, and it all checked out. Nothing out of the ordinary about them." He threw in an innocent grin before wolfing down some more of his food.

_If they find out about that little lie they're going to be really mad_, Corrine thought to him.

_Maybe,_ Marshall relented. _But we can't just betray Finley's trust like that, could we?_

_No._

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Later that day, after all their classes, Corrine and Josie were walking down the hall with Vaughn. Josie had talked Corrine into just hanging out for a little bit, and Vaughn, with nothing else to do at the moment, had chosen to tag along. They were all discussing grades – Corrine was excited about getting another one hundred on her Math test. Josie was congratulating her friend when something came shooting out of the science lab. Everyone exchanged uncertain looks, before peering into the room, having to quickly duck out of the way when another book was thrown out at them.

"_What_ is going on?" Josie demanded.

"Please don't tell me there's some sort of gravitational pull in Z's office that's throwing things around," Josie mumbled.

Vaughn peered back around the corner. "No. Just Jovee."

"What?" Josie demanded, peering back into the room to see Jovee throwing books angrily – mostly at Douglas but some missed. "Hey! What's going on in here?" She stomped into the room, followed by Corrine and Vaughn.

The three strangers looked at the group now entered into the room.

"You don't want to be here," Finley said softly.

"Why are you throwing books?" Vaughn asked.

"I -." Jovee looked at the book in her hand, and then let it fall to the floor. She glanced at Douglas uncertainly, before muttering an apology. Douglas turned to the trio.

"Jovee doesn't seem to understand the concept of having a _good time_," He said.

"Don't get started on that again," Jovee hissed.

"Well don't get me started. You and I both know this is all your fault. Just ask Finley," Douglas replied.

"Don't you bring Finley into this. It's just me, and you. Go ahead, then. Say what you wanted to say. How is this all my fault?" Jovee asked.

"If your stupid Grandfather hadn't -."

"This is about _me_," Jovee snapped. "Not my family. What did _I_ do?"

"Exist, for one thing," Douglas retorted.

"Well I could say the same for you, elf."

"It's my _height_ that you have problems with? Try this on for size. No one wants to be stuck with a ditzy cheerleader who doesn't even know what she's doing half the time," Douglas growled.

"And no one needs to be stuck with a know-it-all genius with an attitude problem!" Jovee exclaimed. "I'm sick of you not trusting me! Why can't you just accept that I know what I'm doing?"

"Because you don't! You're just a girl!"

"He better not be implying what I think he's implying," Josie said.

"Guys! Can't you just kiss and get it over with? Enough beating around the bush," Finley said softly, though everyone heard.

Jovee's head whipped around furiously. Douglas also glared at his friend. "How dare you imply that I would want _anything_ to do with that _ELF_."

"Like I'd be interested in a stupid cheerleader."

"I am _hardly_ stupid," Jovee snapped.

"And I'm hardly an elf! Just because of that one incident does not mean I -."

"Okay guys, maybe you should stop," Corrine said, stepping in.

"Let them go at it," Josie said. "I think they really need to get this out of their system."

"So just because I'm a cheerleader means that I'm stupid? Answer me, Douglas!"

"No, you're _stupid_ because you're dyslexic!" Douglas snapped.

Jovee's head jerked back in surprise. She quickly regained her angry façade. "I am _not_ dyslexic," She hissed.

Douglas smirked. "But you're Father is. Big Shot Dad, and he doesn't even know what he's doing."

Jovee drew in a sharp breath, and leaned forward, her eyes meeting Douglas' smug ones. There was only cruelty twisted on her face. She opened her mouth, quickly licked her lips, before letting out a soft snort. "Well _your_ Dad's not … coming … back," She said slowly through clenched teeth. Douglas' eyes widened in pain and hatred. He breathed quickly through his nose, made a gargled cry in the back of his throat. Jovee grinned widely, having the exact effect she wanted.

The small boy's fists curled together. And then, "I'm going to kill you!" He cried, before lunging at Jovee. The two began trading hits.

"Oh no!" Josie exclaimed. She grabbed on to a ravage Douglas while Corrine and Finley pulled Jovee back. Douglas had the look of a wild animal. His eyes were frighteningly large, and he wouldn't stop squirming in Josie's arms, trying to get at Jovee, who simply stood still in Corrine and Finley's. Surprisingly, she seemed to look regretful.

"Douglas," Josie grunted.

With Jovee still, Corrine looked over to Josie and Douglas struggling. For a brief moment there was something there … something between the two that Corrine had never noticed before. But then it vanished as Douglas fell to the floor, looking away with tears glinting in his eyes. After a moment, he jerked up, glaring at Jovee.

"Enough fooling around," He snapped. "I'm going to fix it once and for all." He darted out of the room, Jovee following him to the door.

"You can't do this!" She called. Finley approached her from behind, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"You crossed the line, Jovee," He said quietly.

She swatted his hand away with no reply, simply staring at Douglas' furious retreating figure while Josie and Corrine exchanged confused looks.

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Douglas threw open the door to Marshall and Lucas' room, not bothering to knock. He caught a glimpse of Lucas on the bed, the book in his hand. Lucas looked up with surprise, but before any words could be exchanged, Lucas vanished in the usual Blake Holsey pink electricity.

Marshall, who had sat on his bed doing his homework before Douglas outburst jumped up, his mouth open. Downstairs the exact same thing happened to Josie.

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Lucas looked around the strange room before him with surprise. It seemed to be an old house which was obviously unoccupied. That was, until Josie materialized before him. The two exchanged confused looks. Strange Days strike again.


	5. Chapter 4

AN: Any thanks i will have to say, or responses, will be put as my own comments in reviews after i put up each new chapter, okay? Thanks!

CHAPTER FOUR

Corrine stumbled forward, picking up the book that had fallen to the floor when Josie had vanished. Vaughn stood, gaping at the spot where moments before Josie had been. Slowly, he stepped up.

"What just happened!" Corrine demanded, holding up the book in her hand.

"She … vanished?" Jovee said, looking uncertain.

"But where did she _go_?" Vaughn cried.

"Well how am _I_ supposed to know?" Jovee demanded, stepping back to Finley.

Corrine turned to Finley, her eyes full of fire. "You said Jovee had something to finish up – was this it? Did she do something to Josie?"

Jovee narrowed her eyes. "I didn't do anything, and Finley talks too much."

_Lucas is gone!_ Marshall cried in Corrine's mind.

_So is Josie_._ Something tells me those future kids are behind it_.

_Douglas is here. He's in as much of a panic as me_.

_Get Z and come down to the Science Lab. We have a few things to discuss with our _'visitors'

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Z looked around the room quietly; taking in everything he'd been told. He frowned, before turning to the trio from the wormhole.

"So let me get this straight," He said slowly. "You three are from several years in the future, and are a part of a new science club, which I still teach. Weird things are still happening at Blake Holsey, and the wormhole opened up, pulling you three through. Now Finley told Marshall and Corrine all this yesterday, but made them promise not to tell anyone else. Today Jovee and Douglas got in a fight, Corrine, Josie, and Vaughn overheard, stepping in. Jovee made a comment about Douglas' _father_ which sent him over the edge, and he stomped up to Marshall's room, where Lucas sat reading a book. Lucas then proceeded to vanish from sight, as did Josie downstairs. Corrine then accused Jovee of being behind Josie's disappearance, and somehow contacted Marshall to have him bring Douglas and me here, although no one saw Corrine do anything to get in touch with him. Do I have it all down so far?"

The group before him nodded their heads.

"Well we have quite a situation on our hands, then," Z said slowly. "Jovee, do you know what happened to Josie and Lucas?"

"Nothing that _wouldn't_ have happened on its own," The girl said.

"Where are they?" Corrine demanded.

"They're _fine_!" Jovee insisted, looking angrily at the dark-skinned girl.

"Jovee, where are Lucas and Josie?" Z demanded.

Jovee rolled her eyes, looking away as she muttered something under her breath.

"What?" Vaughn asked.

"Another realm. Chillax, they're both fine. They'll find their way back out eventually."

"Did she just say Chillax?" Marshall asked, an accusing look on his face.

"I picked it up from Z," Jovee countered.

"Yea, Z says stuff like that all the time," Douglas pointed out quietly.

"I do?" Z asked, looking uncertain.

"What about Josie and Lucas?" Corrine asked.

"What about you two?" Douglas countered, pointing at her and Marshall. "We all know you've been keeping a secret, so don't get started on us."

"Corrine, is that true?" Z asked.

Corrine hung her head, glancing at Marshall out of the corner of her eyes. "Yes. Yesterday after your class – when we bumped heads – Marshall and I sort of developed a … telepathic bond."

"Really?" Z asked, looking interested.

"Cool," Vaughn said, and for a moment everyone had forgotten about Lucas and Josie. Then Marshall frowned.

"How did you guys know about that, anyways?" He asked.

"We're from the future? We know _everything_ about you? Get it yet?" Jovee asked.

"Look, we all know the story. Josie and Lucas get out of it just fine," Finley spoke up, meeting everyone's eyes. "And they get out of it with_out_ your help. Face it, you can't really help them, they can help themselves. Now that everything's been taken care of, we can work on your problems."

"What do you mean?" Corrine asked.

Finley sighed. "There was a pretty good reason why the energy in Blake Holsey gave you two the power to read each other's thoughts. You just need to figure it out. And there's also a reason why Josie and Lucas were sent to the shadow realm – by that same energy. They'll figure it all out, too. Focus on your own problem for now."

"Cryptic. You're beginning to sound like the janitor," Marshall said.

Finley simply shrugged.

"Fine," Corrine said. "Come on Marshall – we're going to search for information on mind reading."

_Does she have to be so bossy_?

_Do you have to be so Marshall_?

The two left the room, leaving Jovee, Douglas, Finley, Z, and Vaughn.

"I'll do some research on other planes, then," Z said slowly. Then he moved out.

"Vaughn, you're coming with us," Jovee said.

"Me? Why me?" Vaughn asked with surprise.

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Lucas knocked firmly against the walls for the fourth time. In the background, Josie threw her arms up in annoyance.

"_Now_ will you tell me what you're doing?" She demanded.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "I'm testing the durability of the walls. Trying to conclude if we're actually in a house or … somewhere else."

"And …?"

"I'm almost sure we're in a real house. I'm just not sure where," Lucas replied.

"Not helping."

"What do you want me to say, Josie?" Lucas snapped, turning to look at her.

"How about you have a good idea as to what's going on?" Josie suggested.

"Now why should I be the only one to try and think of something," Lucas asked. "I don't even know _why_ we're here. Let alone how to get out."

"Maybe it was the wormhole," Josie suggested, looking around with her hands in her jacket pockets.

"I didn't see the wormhole open up and bring you here. No, this is something else. Something Blake Holsey related."

Josie seemed considerate. "Well," She said slowly. "Maybe we should just make the best out of this place while we can. You know, while we wait for the others to come get us."

"That's a good idea," Lucas said, moving along the corridor. The two fell silent, taking their new surroundings in, before Lucas turned to Josie.

"So … what should we talk about?" Lucas asked.

"We could talk about why you didn't tell me the black hole stuff you were looking for was for Vaughn."

Lucas winced. "Yeah ... you found out about that?"

"I saw the papers sticking out of Vaughn's books," Josie admitted.

"I would have told you, but Vaughn asked me not to. I just thought that maybe if I got it done quickly, I wouldn't have to think about it again," Lucas said.

"I guess I understand," Josie said quietly.

"Are you mad?"

"I was when I thought you were -." At that Josie looked away. "I thought you were helping Victor."

"You know I'd never help Victor. He's the enemy," Lucas said.

"I know, I know. But I wasn't sure. It just seemed like you – I mean, with being so secretive and everything. I guess I just get ahead of myself sometimes."

"Don't we all," Lucas agreed. "Is that why you were avoiding Vaughn?"

"Did everybody notice?" Josie asked.

Lucas chuckled. "No. Marshall told me. So … is it?"

"No," Josie said. "I just … for so long I really thought I liked Vaughn. Now I'm not too sure. Think I'm just being nervous?"

"Maybe," Lucas said softly. "Or maybe you only like him as a friend."

"I think it's a little more complicated than that," Josie said slowly. Then she started laughing. "How about we just forget this whole conversation, then. I think we should explore while we can."

Lucas shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

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Jovee closed the door behind her, before turning around to look at Vaughn, Douglas, and Finley. "Alright, so why didn't you tell Z about your blackouts?"

Vaughn shrugged. "It isn't anything important," He said quickly, turning to Douglas. "Why were you so mad yesterday?"

Douglas let out a huff before turning away from the group, walking over to the window and ignoring the group behind him.

Finley frowned at his friend, but knew better than to approach him when he was being moody.

Jovee raised her eyebrows. "We need to focus on these blackouts you keep having, Vaughn."

"If you were so concerned about them why didn't you mention them in front of the others?" Vaughn demanded.

Jovee shifted her feet around nervously. "You think I wanted to get into any more trouble with Corrine? She thinks _I'm_ behind Josie and Lucas vanishing – which I'm not! Which she wouldn't have thought if somebody here had kept their mouth shut. What happened to the 'we have to get home' speech, Finley? You tell them anything else that could completely mess with our future?"

"Of course not," Finley hissed. "You think I'm stupid? Besides, they already suspected we were from the wormhole. In fact, before Josie and Lucas left everyone but they thought we were from around here."

"We weren't that obvious," Jovee said.

"Weren't we?" Finely demanded. "Between you and Douglas I'm surprised they didn't figure _everything_ out!"

"Guys!" Vaughn said, holding his hands up and stepping between the two. "I don't think it's a good idea for everyone to fall apart. And for what it's worth, I trust you guys. Give the others some time and they'll come around."

"Only _you_ would try to pretend everything's hunky dory," Douglas grumbled. Vaughn looked back at him with a look of puzzlement, and then shook it off.

"Something tells me we're all going to need to stick together. No more arguments. Now, how do we fix all this?" Vaughn asked.

Jovee looked at him uncertainly. "Well, from what we remember from the story, it all takes a little … lesson. On all parts."

"So Lucas and Josie have to learn a lesson wherever they are, I need to learn a lesson … somehow, and Corrine and Marshall need to learn something. Hey! Are Corrine and Marshall finally going to hook up?" Vaughn asked.

Jovee's lips quirked. "Now how could _that_ constitute a lesson?"

"Back on track. You've been having the blackouts since yesterday, right?" Finley asked, stepping up.

"Yeah, right after I got that paper from Lucas. Wait! The paper!"

"What about it?" Jovee asked, looking confused.

"It was on brain disorders. Lucas said one of the main focuses in the report was about memory loss, and I started having these blackouts right after I got the paper," Vaughn exclaimed.

"You think they're connected?" Finley asked, glancing at Jovee, who also had a look of puzzle on her face. Finley raised his eyebrows and shoulder in an 'it could happen' manner.

"What? That's not what happened in your time?" Vaughn asked.

"Nobody ever really told us what _caused_ the memory loss. Just what the outcome was. Nobody could really remember," Jovee explained.

"Enough fooling around," Douglas snapped. "We need to get to work. We've done the best we can; now we can go home."

"We can't leave Vaughn on his own here, Douglas. Everyone else is too busy to help him figure it out," Jovee said.

"They wouldn't be too busy if _you_ hadn't fixed the dates on Josie and Lucas going to the shadow realm! Face it, Jovee, _you_ timed all this!" Douglas snapped.

"Come on, Vaughn was right. We can't afford to fight right now. And _Jovee_'s right – we can't leave Vaughn on his own. If we help him along we may be able to go home faster," Finley said.

"Why should we help him?" Douglas asked, looking Jovee in the eye. "_Pearsons_ are the enemy."

"You know that's not true," Finley said quickly.

"It isn't?" Vaughn asked, sounding slightly happy.

"They're _my_ enemy," Douglas countered, now looking darkly at Finley. "I was wrong to think otherwise."

"Okay, I'm sensing some tension here," Vaughn said, trying to lighten the dramatic mood that had fallen on the group.

"More like some … unresolved issues," Jovee said with a sigh. "Look, maybe it's time somebody go find the janitor. He always knows what to do."

"Don't tell me the janitor's still weird in the future," Vaughn said.

"Wouldn't ya know it," Jovee said, forcing a smile.

"Isn't the janitor supposed to find _us_ if he has any useful information? You know, like pop out of nowhere and give some cryptic message that doesn't really make sense at the time it's given, but when you get there, it's actually useful?" Finley asked, with a grin.

"Well Mr. Janitor is going to have to deal with me looking for him whether he likes it or not," Jovee snapped, stomping out of the room.

Douglas sneered in her direction before turning away, while Finley looked apologetically at Vaughn. "Hope you don't mind being stuck with me for a little while."

"Eh …"

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Josie tilted her head to the side, trying to look upside down. "O … kay. This is just weird."

Lucas nodded his head in agreement. During their exploration the two had discovered that this house wasn't like a normal house at all. It went on and on, each room filled with more things out of the ordinary. They'd seen a room filled with suspended water – fish even swimming in it, a room filled with back to back couches forming a pyramid, empty rooms, rooms with strange paintings, doors that led to nothing, and now this. The carpet seemed to be made of candy wrappers, the walls had cups glued on to them, and on the ceiling was a giant table scene. There was a table, chairs, food _on_ the table – it was all set for anyone who could manage the climb on to the ceiling and sit upside down.

Both Josie and Lucas tilted their heads to the side, studying the unusual structure of the room.

"I feel like we're in a museum," Lucas finally said.

"_I_ feel like we're in the twilight zone," Josie answered. She walked across the floor, purposefully avoiding the way the carpet crinkled beneath her.

"What are you doing?" Lucas asked.

Josie plucked a cup from the wall with ease, and looked at it. She was shocked when it automatically filled.

Lucas had to blink a few times in surprise, before he approached her. "What's in it?" He asked with fascination. Josie reluctantly sniffed the concoction, before grinning.

"Root beer," She replied. "Just what I was thirsty for." She went to take a sip, but Lucas pulled the soda from her, looking it over. "Is there a point to taking away my drink?"

"It could be something meant to hurt you," Lucas replied, not noticing as Josie rolled her eyes, stepping closer. She pulled the cup away, tossing Lucas an annoyed look.

"Do you have to be suspicious of _everything_?" She asked, before downing the drink. Both stayed still for a moment, and when nothing happened Josie gave Lucas a smug look. "See? Nothing. Why don't you give it a try?"

Lucas reluctantly pulled down a cup for himself. "Nothing's happening."

"Think of something to drink," Josie suggested.

Lucas did so, and blinked twice as the plastic cup filled with hot chocolate, not even burning his fingers. He took a sip, and then grinned also. "It worked!"

Josie smirked, her hands on her hips as she looked around. "I wonder ..." She mumbled, bending down. Lucas waited as she managed to pluck a wrapper out of the seemingly endless carpet full. She held it up to her face, looking it over. Her eyes widened in delight as it shifted in to a piece of bubble gum.

"Now _this_ I can get used to," She said, putting the stick in her mouth and standing up. "What do you say we see what else there is around here?" She didn't wait for him to answer before she darted out of the room. Lucas stared at her in surprise, as she poked her head back in.

"Are you coming with me?"

Lucas shrugged. "Sure." He finished down his drink and then quickly followed Josie, the whole time pondering how long he and Josie were going to be there … alone … together.

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Corrine was staring at the computer before her, searching the web on the idea of mind reading, when it hit her. She looked at Marshall out of the corner of her eye, confusion settling on her features. At the moment the mind reading had seemed to settle away, but both knew it would be back. In some ways it would make things easier, to communicate secretly, but when each were consumed with their own thoughts it had been difficult.

"Marshall," She said.

He looked at her, surprised. "Yeah?"

"How is looking up mind reading going to help us?" She inquired.

"Eh …" He seemed uncertain, searching for an answer before shrugging. "It probably won't. I just figured you wanted an excuse to leave the future people."

"I did," Corrine admitted. "I just kept thinking of what happened to Josie and Lucas."

"Me too," Marshall replied. "But I also trust Finley. If they say Josie and Lucas are okay … then I believe it."

"I know," Corrine said. "This whole situation is just really weird. I mean, weirder than Blake Holsey weird."

Marshall shook his head. "It's all just a bunch of bad timing," He said, giving Corrine a reassuring smile.

_He looks so cute._

Marshall grinned. "Thank you."

Corrine quickly groaned. "It's back again."

"We'll just try to ignore it," Marshall suggested. _I don't want to ignore it, though. This is fun. What kind of person in their right mind wouldn't want to read someone else's thoughts? I've been wondering …_ Marshall quickly stopped his train of thought when he noticed Corrine's raised eyebrow. _She can read my mind. Right._

"This is getting frustrating," Corrine thought and said at the same time.

"Think about the fun we could have with this, though." _Think about all the stuff we could find out about each other, black mail each – oh yeah._

_This is getting out of control. Could he just concentrate instead of trying to make all these jokes?_ Corrine let out a frustrated sigh, while Marshall just looked annoyed.

_If she thinks I'm so immature – I'll show her_.

_I never said that I thought you were_. "Marshall," Corrine started.

"I'm going to go check on … something else," Marshall replied. He snatched up his books and quickly moved out of the room, leaving Corrine to watch him leave, catching a drift of his last thought, _Why can't she just see that I -_. Then the connection was snapped again and Corrine was alone with her thoughts.

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Jovee shuffled down the hall, her arms crossed over her chest, a scowl on her lips. "Stupid janitor," She mumbled. She absently kicked at a loose stone in the basement floor. "Never even makes sense, anyways." She wandered further down the maze-like halls just allowing herself to blow out some steam. She admitted out loud - to no one - that she had gone too far in that fight back there with Douglas. She was well aware of the thin boundaries between the two, and Finley was right … she _had_ crossed a line. She knew she owed Douglas an apology, but she wasn't ready to give it, yet. She may be bossy, maybe even a little hot headed, but she had respect for other people – no matter how weird. Her Dad had taught her that, and it was something she would stick to. She was still mad at the short boy for his comment about her father, but hers was much worst. Once Douglas was back to his usual self, she'd apologize. They just both needed some time.

"What are you doing down here?" The voice was so sudden, so unexpected, that Jovee jump.

Without turning around, she said, "Alright, spill."

"Spill what?" The janitor asked.

Jovee looked back at him. "Don't play dumb. I know you have some advice on this whole situation."

The janitor moved closer, pushing the broom around a little. "Now which situation would that be? Did you, or did you not help to create much of this mess."

"I was only trying to help Douglas," Jovee said, leaning against the wall.

"Were you?" The tone, to Jovee, sounded accusing.

Jovee narrowed her eyes darkly at him. "Of course I was."

"There was _nothing_ else?"

"Maybe a little curiosity, I suppose. But I did do all this for Douglas."

"Did you ever stop to think of the consequences you could be putting on the time stream?" The janitor asked, still not looking up.

"There wasn't exactly time to think. The wormhole was open, we were in it. It was best to take control of the situation before we were snapped in to some time frame that could have caused further trouble," Jovee replied sharply.

"What if you weren't meant to come here? Things always happen for a reason - what makes you think you could change that?"

"It was a rash decision," Jovee admitted. "But we could have done a lot more damage. I get that we weren't meant to be here -."

"Now I didn't say that," The janitor interrupted.

"So we _are_ supposed to be here?" There was no answer. Jovee glowered unhappily. "Could you ever give a straight answer?"

The janitor stood up, looking her in the eyes. "Shouldn't you be with your friends?"

"I came here to get an answer from you," Jovee said.

"I don't have the answer you're looking for," He replied.

Jovee pursed her lips. "Not even a silly cryptic message?"

The janitor looked her over. "Go to your friends, Jovee. There isn't much time," He finally said. Then he turned away and began to sweep along the corridor.

Knowing not to push, Jovee grimaced. "Well how is _that_ supposed to help?"

She rolled her eyes, looking to the ceiling. After a few moments her eyes lit up, and she darted away.

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Vaughn, from behind Finley, studied the computer screen. "There has to be some way to reverse this. I can't go the rest of my life blacking out?"

"Why not? Heather Burgman has lived her whole life with the blackouts. Besides, you and I both know it won't last forever. You just need to find the right way to reverse it," Finley replied, not taking his eyes off the computer game, his fingers moving swiftly over the keyboards.

"Oh, Vaughn said, sitting back. "Well who's Heather Burgman?"

"Just a girl in my grade," Finley said, distractedly. Douglas moved to his side.

"Let me on."

"No."

"I have an idea," Douglas growled.

"Are you calm? Relaxed? Did you take all your pills?" Finley joked, already moving to get away from the computer screen.

"Funny," Douglas said, quickly replacing his friend's spot in the chair. He pulled up the internet, and typed a few things in the search engine.

"What are you doing?" Vaughn asked.

"Helping you. Or trying to, at least. In any case, I'm researching brain disorders on the internet."

"Alright then," Vaughn replied, stepping away.

Finley moved to the front of the room, Vaughn following quickly behind him. "Is he going to be okay?"

"As long as Jovee doesn't come into this room anytime soon? Yeah, he's mellowing out," Finley replied.

"What exactly did Jovee say about his Dad?" Vaughn inquired.

"She told him his Father wasn't coming back," Finley replied.

"What happened, exactly?" Vaughn asked.

"Umm … I probably shouldn't discuss these things with you," Finley replied.

"Well did his Dad leave him or something? Or is he just there but not there?"

"No, no, his Dad was a _great_ Dad. And one day – last year – he just sort of vanished. It's complicated, and not exactly something I should be sharing."

"Oh," Vaughn said.

"I've got it!" Douglas called at the same time as the door opened. Jovee glanced around as she closed the door quickly behind her. She quickly caught each eye, before finally catching Douglas'. Guilt instantly flashed across her face, but before she could apologize, her head turned back to Vaughn.

"Is everything okay here?" She asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Vaughn replied. "Douglas was just trying help us find a way to reverse these blackouts."

"Oh," Jovee said.

"What's going on? You looked worried when you came in," Finley said.

Jovee let out an angry grunt. "That stupid janitor. He made me think something bad was going to happen to you guys."

"The janitor?" Finley repeated incredulously.

"Yeah, he told me 'go to your friends, Jovee. There isn't much time'. You know, I never figured the guy to be a liar," She said. "Weird, yes. But a liar?"

"Maybe he was just looking for an excuse to get rid of you," Douglas suggested quietly from the computer.

"Hey, no fighting," Vaughn said as Jovee looked across the room.

"Look, Douglas, I'm -."

Just at that moment the wormhole opened up. Douglas jumped up, moving over to the wormhole just as Finley and Jovee were doing.

"Should we go through?" Jovee called.

"Of course! How do we know the next time it will open up?" Finley countered. Before anyone could go through the wormhole, however, someone appeared, the swirling vortex closing behind them.

Douglas' eyes widened in disbelief. "Grams!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms around her.

Vaughn stared at the woman with surprise. Did Douglas just call her his grandmother?


	6. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Josie and Lucas had finally settled down in a room which oddly resembled Josie's bedroom. The two sat on the bed, Josie thoughtfully chewing on her piece of gum, Lucas with a lollipop he'd snagged out of another room. By their watches they had been there for at least three hours, and still there had been no help from their friends. Neither wanted to admit it, but they were both getting a little nervous. The strange house was fun for now, but home was beginning to sound better and better.

At last, Josie jumped up, startling Lucas. "We need to think of a way out of here," She told him. "Firstly, do you have any guesses as to where we are?"

"No," Lucas said slowly, standing up with Josie.

"Well I do. Hear me out. I'm beginning to suspect we're in that book," Josie told him. "How far did you get in it?"

"Not too far," Lucas said slowly. "I guess about fifty pages. Why?"

"Because right after it got to the middle of the book Izzy and Trina arrived in a strange house that seemed an awful lot like this house, here."

"How so?"

"The strange rooms? This dorm room – _Trina's_ bedroom was there. My theory is that we are in the book, and we're Izzy and Trina."

"That's one interesting theory," Lucas said slowly. "But if we're in the book, wouldn't that imply that -."

"That those new kids were behind this. I'll bet you anything they knew exactly what they were doing when they gave us those books. And I'm sure they know how to get us out," Josie concluded.

"What if the others realized that too?" Lucas asked. "Wouldn't they have pumped them for information by now?"

"Probably," Josie admitted reluctantly, falling back on the bed.

"Well how did Trina and Izzy get out of the Shadow Plane?"

"Hee," Josie said, looking nervously up at Lucas. "I didn't get that far."

Lucas blinked. "Well how far did you get?"

"Umm," Josie looked thoughtful. "Okay, after they arrived in the shadow plane, they wandered around – like we did. Then they stopped in Trina's bedroom. They tried to figure out how they got there, yadda, yadda. She and Izzy got in a big argument, and then they separated. That's the last thing I remember."

"What if, in order to get out of here, we need to finish the book?" Lucas suggested. "Do you know what the reason they were sent into the world in the first place?"

"Emma – Trina's friend, got in a fight with both of them, and told them that they needed to learn a lesson from each other. She left the room, and Izzy and Trina were pulled into the world. I'm not really sure what that lesson was, though." Josie frowned. "How can we finish the story if we don't know what happened?"

"Eh …" Lucas turned to think, and then turned back. "So far it's come naturally. Let's follow with that. Now you said the two got in an argument. What was it about?"

"Myles," Josie replied.

"Who?"

Josie's face seemed to light up with an idea. "Lucas, what do you think of Vaughn?"

"Vaughn?" Lucas asked with surprise. "He's okay. You know we get along alright."

"But do you trust him?"

"Not entirely," Lucas said slowly.

"Why not?"

"Because his Dad's Victor Pearson. We can't trust Victor Pearson."

Josie rolled her eyes, now getting interested in this conversation. "He's not his Father, Lucas."

"Isn't he? Why would Vaughn join the Science Club in the first place? It was his Dad's idea, remember? You can't seriously believe that 'Perfect Vaughn Pearson' would actually be interested in science. He's not even that smart."

"Vaughn is smart, Lucas."

"I don't see why you're getting so defensive of him. You said you didn't like him," Lucas said.

"He's still my friend!" Josie exclaimed.

"He's my friend, too. But I still don't trust him," Lucas countered.

"Hasn't he proven himself yet? He's always trying to do the best," Josie told him.

"But he's always trying to impress his Dad. We both know that if his Dad asked him to help him out, he would."

"Once!" Josie exclaimed. "He helped his Dad eavesdrop on our conversation _once_! And even then he was conflicted about loyalty. And if you didn't trust him so much, why did you get him information on black holes?"

"That's …" At this point Lucas' voice dropped some of its anger. He sighed. "I can't explain that."

Josie snorted. "You know, my _Mom_ was working with Victor. They even knew each other. Does that mean _I'm_ not to be trusted?"

"Of course not, Josie."

"Whatever, Lucas," Josie snapped. She quickly stomped out of the room, disappearing. Lucas sighed again, not bothering to go after her. Vaughn was their friend, but there was still the issue of trusting him, which for some reason Lucas felt he needed to defend himself for.

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Okay, Marshall knew he had overreacted when Corrine had gotten frustrated with him, but being so close to Corrine was really beginning to bug him. In some ways he really liked her, but then in other ways … the whole situation was driving her crazy, and if it was driving her crazy, then it was driving Marshall crazy, also. Marshall wanted to spend time with Corrine, but not when they could read each other's thoughts like that - not when they could risk hurting each other.

He moved down the halls quickly. Maybe if he found Z, he could find some way to take his mind off of things. He found Z sitting at his desk looking at the book Josie had. He looked up, a little surprised to see Marshall there.

"Find anything?" Marshall asked.

"Nothing," Z replied, shaking his head. "Well, some stuff, but nothing that will help us find Lucas and Josie. Any luck with you and Corrine?"

Marshall shook his head. "There really isn't anything we can do."

"Is everything alright?" Z asked with concern.

"Yeah," Marshall said quickly. "Anything I can help you with?"

"No, there doesn't seem to be anything. Can you and Corrine still …?"

"On and off," Marshall replied.

Z nodded his head. "Fascinating."

"Well … if you don't need any help here, I think I'll go to my room," Marshall said.

"Are you sure?" Z asked. "Shouldn't you be trying to help find Josie and Lucas? Or working with Corrine?"

"No," Marshall said. "I mean, I should be working with Corrine, but … I just can't. As for Lucas and Josie – I have a feeling they'll get themselves out."

"Alright. I'm gonna keep researching things on other worlds, though," Z told him.

"Let me know if you find anything," Marshall called over his shoulder.

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Josie frowned, staring at the wall in front of her. Every time she tried to turn another corner, she got a dead end. At this moment, when she just wanted to get away from Lucas, all she could get was a dead end. Her temper was beginning to flare. She managed to take in a few deep breaths before turning around, glancing around the corner to see Lucas wandering around the hall up ahead. Well that was just fine for Josie – so long as he stayed away from her.

She waited until Lucas was out of her sight to turn down the hall and try and find another exit. As she did so, she ran through the fight she'd had with Lucas earlier. Perhaps she'd been wrong to get so mad at Lucas. In fact, she'd been completely wrong to get mad at Lucas. Now she was avoiding him for slightly different reasons. Spending so much time with Lucas was beginning to change her mind about everything, and she wasn't sure if she liked it.

Josie jiggled the knob for another door, and managed to slip inside, closing the door softly before her. Finally, a door that was not rebellious. She turned cautiously, unsure of what to expect. Surprisingly, the room seemed almost normal. It appeared, to Josie, like a Library without any books, just empty bookshelves filled with Spiderwebs. The room stretched up real high, ending with a giant glass dome with tinted windows. In the corner of the room, Josie's eyes were drawn to the bright red sign reading, "EXIT". Josie felt a glimmer of excitement. Then she frowned. What if it really was the exit? It wouldn't be fair to leave Lucas there on his own. She glanced back at the door.

"Don't move," She muttered to the room, before quickly stepping out of the room, checking down the hall for any hint of Lucas.

"Lucas?" She called. A few moments later the boy's head appeared from a corner. He looked at her with slight confusion.

"I think I've found a way out of here," Josie said.

Now for Lucas, this could be taken as a good thing, or a bad thing. Even if Josie was mad at him … he'd been alone with her. But he also wanted to go home. But … not before he sorted everything out with Josie. He moved quickly down the hall, appearing beside Josie.

"We need to talk," he told her.

"After we get back," Josie said, quickly pulling him inside.

"No," Lucas said quickly, grabbing Josie's elbow. "We need to talk now."

"About what?" Josie asked, looking at him expectantly.

"I'm sorry about what I said about Vaughn. I know you and I both think differently about him -."

"Lucas, we really don't need to talk about this right now," Josie told him.

"And then when are we going to talk about it, Josie?" Lucas inquired. "Nobody's here. It's the best time."

"I get it, Lucas, okay? You don't trust Vaughn. It isn't exactly a secret. And in all fairness, maybe I over-reacted."

"It's not just that," Lucas said. He took in a deep breath. "I like you, Josie. I _really_ like you."

Josie took a step back, not really sure how to respond. Finally, she managed an, "Oh."

"That's it?" Lucas asked.

"Well what am I supposed to say?" Josie demanded.

"Anything's better than 'oh'," Lucas replied.

"How about I don't know _what_ to say!" Josie exclaimed. She turned on her heel, and looked around the room. Despite the situation, an old book tucked away in the corner of the empty bookshelf caught her eye. She slowly moved over to it, intrigued, and then changed her mind, looking back at Lucas. "I'm not sure if I like you like that, Lucas. You're my _friend_."

"And that's all you see me as," Lucas finished.

Josie didn't reply. Instead, she went back to the book, pulling it out, dusting it off, and reading the cover. _Strange Days at Blake Holsey High_. She frowned. "What's this?"

Lucas rolled his eyes in frustration, but approached her, reading over her shoulder. "That's creepy," He said.

Josie turned to the first page, only to read a quick paragraph of how Lucas Randall, conspiracy freak, had rushed down the halls in a desperate attempt to get to Professor Middleton's Office to drop off his paper.

"That's what happened the night Professor Middleton disappeared!" Lucas exclaimed.

Josie looked thoughtful for a minute, and then turned to the last page of the book. The only thing she managed to see, however, was a quickly flash of "the science club" before Lucas pulled the book away.

"What are you doing!" Josie exclaimed.

Lucas licked his lips with a sigh. "Knowing too much about our future could be dangerous. I say we just let it go," He said quickly.

"But it might have the answers!" Josie exclaimed, reaching for the book. Lucas quickly pulled it away again.

"If we're going to find out the answers we'll find them out ourselves. Not through some book." He looked hesitantly at the book, wanting to read it and see how much it actually knew, but decided against it. He took the book and threw it across the room where it disappeared through a small ripple in the wall.

"Lucas!" Josie exclaimed, darting after it. She felt at the wall where moments before the book had passed through, only to find everything solid. She turned quickly back to Lucas, glaring angrily at him. "You want to know about Pearadyne, Lucas? That could have told us! It would have told us everything we've wanted to know!"

"I know," Lucas said softly. "I just couldn't let you do it, though."

Josie's face turned a bright red with frustration, before she flung herself into an old chair. "It could have told us how to get out of here," She said quietly.

"Why not just try going through the exit, then? If you want to go home so badly, go! You could have just left me here, you know."

"I'm not going to just leave you here," Josie mumbled. "You're my friend, Lucas. Although once we get out of here that will be seriously reconsidered."

"Josie, you know reading that book could jeopardize anything that will happen," Lucas told her.

She pursed her lips, not wanting to admit he was right. She decided to change the subject. "Why was a book like that even in here?"

Lucas shrugged. "Maybe someone was here before us," He said. "Or maybe someone just knows a lot about us. When we get back I'll have to look up the theories on Shadow Planes."

Josie laughed despite herself. "Is all you ever think about research?" She asked, looking at him.

"No," Lucas said. It didn't take Josie long to catch the hidden message as he looked at her.

She sighed. "You know this is going to make things difficult," She said slowly.

"If you can tell me you honestly don't like me, we'll forget this whole thing happened," Lucas told her.

"Well what if I'm not sure?" Josie inquired.

"We could … try something," Lucas said slowly. He licked his lips again nervously.

"Like a test?" Josie asked. She seemed uncertain. "What kind of a test?"

"A kiss?" Lucas suggested.

Josie thought it over. She'd kissed Lucas once before, even though it had actually been Vaughn in Lucas' body. Besides, no one would have to know about this if it didn't work out. Plus it would be the answer to their question.

"Alright," She said. She stood up, facing Lucas. The two seemed a little uncertain.

"Just … kiss?" Lucas asked her.

"Just a trial kiss," Josie said quickly.

Lucas nodded, and then slowly bent over, meeting her lips. After a few moments, the two broke apart.

Lucas swallowed nervously, waiting for Josie's reply. She slowly met his eyes.

"Well, he asked, moving his glasses up uncertainly. Josie bent forward, and kissed Lucas again. They broke apart again.

"Wow," Lucas said.

"Wow is right," Josie said.

"So … what does this mean?" Lucas asked.

"I don't know," Josie replied. "I think I like you. _Really_ like you. There's just … this feeling."

"A connection," Lucas said quickly.

"Exactly," Josie said with a nod.

The two seemed thoughtful, and then Lucas bent down again, capturing Josie's lips. She leaned into his' kiss, surprised at how warm his lips were. She couldn't help but feel like she could stay there forever; and Lucas himself was in heaven. The only thing that tore the couple apart was the soft cough from two feet away.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"_Look, Douglas, I'm -."_

_Just at that moment the wormhole opened up. Douglas jumped up, moving over to the wormhole just as Finley and Jovee were doing._

"_Should we go through?" Jovee called._

"_Of course! How do we know the next time it will open up?" Finley countered. Before anyone could go through the wormhole, however, someone appeared, the swirling vortex closing behind them._

_Douglas' eyes widened in disbelief. "Grams!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms around her._

_Vaughn stared at the woman with surprise. Did Douglas just call her his grandmother?_

…

"_That's_ your Grandmother?" He asked slowly.

"Yes!" Douglas exclaimed happily.

"But that's – but she's -," Vaughn stumbled around, trying to think of a way to make a logical sentence.

"Kelly Trent?" Jovee provided; her hands on her hips.

"You're Josie's son!" Vaughn exploded, looking at the boy. It was now he could actually see the resemblance between the two. And someone else he knew.

"And Lucas'," Finley filled in the unspoken thought.

"This is … extreme," Vaughn finally said, sitting down.

"Vaughn," Kelly said, looking warily at the boy. She stopped, changing her mind about what to say, and instead took Douglas by the shoulders. "Look, I can't stay for long, but I have to get a message across to you."

"Why didn't someone else bring it? How did you even get here in the first place?" Douglas demanded.

"Pure luck. I was just in the right place at the right time," Kelly said with a quick shrug. "Look, you three aren't ready to come back with me. You still have a little more to do here, so don't jump to go home. Alright, Jovee, use your head. Analyze all situations before jumping in. Finley, get as close as you can, there's damage to repair. Douglas, Make the best out of what you know."

"Grams? Those years of 'I'm sorry, but I can't tell you exactly what it is I do' has _really_ gotten to you," Douglas said.

"Have you been talking to that janitor, Mrs. Trent?" Jovee asked. Kelly simply laughed.

"Actually, your father," She replied.

"Well that's a stretch," Douglas said.

Kelly looked uncertainly down at her grandson, and then at Jovee. "You haven't been fighting again, have you?"

"Lucas is your Dad," Vaughn interrupted, his eyes lighting up.

"A bit slow?" Douglas asked. "He'll never change."

"Oh, shove it, Douglas."

"No, no! Lucas is your father. Lucas … vanishes?" Vaughn seemed uncertain, and to that statement Kelly looked down. Jovee bit her lip, and Douglas shot Finley an angry glare.

"Actually, he went into the wormhole," Jovee finally answered. "And nobody has heard from him since."

"Man, this is so much to take in," Vaughn said, resting his head in his hands.

"That's not even the half of it," Jovee said. "Finley is Corrine and Marshall's son."

Vaughn blinked, staring at the boy. Then he frowned. "He is?"

"Finley Grant? Uncle Grant?" Finley asked.

"We all changed our last names so it wouldn't be so obvious. Douglas Trent-Randall, Finley Wheeler, and Jovee Pearson," Jovee explained.

"Pearson?" Vaughn asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Hi Dad," She said. Vaughn stared at her for a few moments in utter surprise, and then slowly started laughing.

"I have a daughter. Sometime in the … distant future, right?"

"You've got things under control by the time we come around. Don't worry. And you don't just have a daughter, you know. I have an older brother, Vinny - and a younger sister, Daveena."

"I don't think you should be revealing so much information," Kelly warned, though she had to smile at the way Vaughn seemed so confused.

"Oh, he'll forget it all," Jovee said with a laugh.

Kelly looked at the clock uncertainly. "The wormhole's going to be opening up. Think about what I've told you, okay?" And then she was pulled through the wormhole before anyone could reply.

Jovee frowned. "Doesn't anyone say goodbye anymore?"

"To you? No," Douglas replied.

"Look, I'm _sorry_," Jovee said, looking at Douglas. "I was wrong to say that about your Dad. I went too far, I admit it." Douglas crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for her to continue. "We'll find a way to get Lucas back. Z's always been saying it. Just … try to relax."

Douglas sighed, and then nodded. "Alright," He said. "Let's just … forget the whole thing happened, okay?"

"Finally," Finley grumbled, though there was a smile on his face. "Now we just need to get everything figured out, okay?"

Douglas' eyes lit up. "Jovee, stay here, Finley, go to Marshall and Corrine. I'm going to go find myself a certain book." He started for the door, stopping and looking back at the group. Vaughn was staring with confusion, while Finley and Jovee just seemed to think he was crazy.

"Whatever," Finley said with a shrug, moving towards the door.

"Well, wait!" Vaughn exclaimed. "I missed something, didn't I?" The last thing he remembered being Jovee about to apologize to Douglas, but being cut off by … something. Finley and Douglas just snickered as they left the room.

"Oh, it's nothing important," Jovee said, grinning. "Oh, hey, if you were to say to someone, 'use your head. Analyze all situations before jumping in,' what do you think you would mean?"

"I dunno. I think I would mean just that."

"R-ight," Jovee said slowly, looking considerate. Then her eyes lit up. "I've got it!" She grinned at her future Father happily.

"Why do I get a bad feeling about this?" Vaughn asked himself.

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Finley found Corrine in her room, reading through some notes. "Eh, knock-knock?" He asked. She looked up, startled by the intrusion. Then smiled uncertainly.

"Hey," She said slowly, putting the book down. "Look, I'm sorry about flipping out on you guys earlier."

"Don't be, its entirely understandable. Where's Marshall?" He asked, looking around.

Corrine let out a sigh. "I don't know, and honestly, I don't care," She said.

Finley winced. "Ouch. Okay, what happened?" He sat on Josie's bed, waiting for a reply.

Corrine shifted uncomfortably. "Finley, you're from the future, right?"

"Last time I checked."

"Are Marshall and I … we're still friends, right?"

"Sure. The best." Not exactly a lie. The husband and wife _acted_ like best friends sometimes.

"That's just it. I feel like that's all we are," Corrine said.

"And you want more," Finley said, nodding with understanding.

"I'm not sure what I want. I like Marshall, more than a friend. But sometimes he's just so frustrating. He acts like I'm annoying to him."

"Just tell him how you feel," Finley suggested.

"I can't. Right now he's mad at me. Besides, I don't exactly think he feels the same for me," She said, shaking her head.

"Didn't you get anything from the mind reading? Someone once told me things happen for a reason. Maybe all … _this_ happened for a reason. Are you taking advantage of it?"

"I don't know how," Corrine said.

"You are _so_ confidant where I come from. You've always been confidant. Why don't you feel it now?"

"I've seen Marshall's thoughts. He doesn't see me as more than a friend."

"You don't know that. Maybe you're looking at this all the wrong way."

"He thinks of me as a know-it-all," Corrine replied.

"But that's what you are. I don't mean it in a bad way, and I don't think Marshall does, either. I think he admires you for it. Both of you tend to be well … endowed in the brains department. But you really need to start thinking with your heart instead of your mind. Don't _think_ logically, _feel_ logically. It could all turn out to be a crush that will end in a few weeks, or it could be something more. You need to take that chance."

The question was burning in Corrine's throat, but she knew she couldn't possibly ask it. Still, Finley read her face easily.

"I know a lot about you. And I know about your past. You don't want to change your future. Live for the present, take chances," Finley advised.

"You're right," Corrine said.

"Of course I am. Wow, did that sound cocky. Alright, why don't you go and … get dressed up or something, while I talk to Marshall," Finley suggested.

"Thanks," Corrine said, flashing a grin, before shooing Finley out of the room. The boy smirked, before fixing his shirt.

"Alright, on to Dad. This should be easy." He started to move quickly down the hall.

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"The overload of energy surfacing around this school needs to be drawing on something. Now the Penn Theory states that -."

"The Penn Theory?" Vaughn asked, staring at Jovee.

"Nathaniel Penn. It's … hard to explain. He's a friend of mine – in the science club. Just listen. With you being a Pearson, you have some connections to the school. Therefore the Penn Theory states that this connection created … an energy shield, of sorts, around the school. You are being pulled into this energy just as its drawing from you. Now when the energy is out of control, it needs a power source to … plug into. You. Am I making sense?"

"Sort of," Vaughn replied.

"However the energy backfired and created a … Swiss cheese memory, if you will." Jovee stopped, took in a breath, and looked down at the page Douglas had opened up on energies. "The energy drew on the first thing in your mind at the time – your science paper, which coincidentally was on memory loss and head trauma. That's why you keep forgetting. A repercussion of this whole thing is the continuous loss of memory … growing greater and greater each time."

"So how do I stop the blackouts from happening?" Vaughn asked.

"Simple, we let this all sit out," Jovee explained.

"Are you serious?" Vaughn asked.

"All the blackouts should end as soon as the connection between Corrine and Marshall is cut – which Finley's working on. Then once Josie and Lucas have returned your brain will reboot. You'll awaken refreshed and with a full memory. No one will have to know about this little problem," Jovee told him.

"So what do we do until then?" Vaughn asked.

"Wait it out?" Jovee suggested. _Use your head. Analyze all situations before jumping in._ She shifted thoughtfully. She'd done that already, so why did she feel like there was still a little more to the message than she knew? She looked back at Vaughn. _Not yet_, she told herself. _Not yet_.

"How about a little fun?" Jovee suggested.

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"Marshall?" Finley called. "I'm coming in!"

The door was pulled open to reveal a drowsy-looking Marshall.

"What time is it?" He grumbled.

"You're a mess," Finley stated. Marshall just raised his eyebrows.

"I was asleep," He replied.

"Right. Look, we need to talk, and I'm going to be direct with you."

"Shoot."

"In the bedroom … now," Finley commanded.

"Aren't I older than you?" Marshall joked, moving aside to let Finley in.

"Not yet you aren't. Therefore, I can boss you around all I want. Which is sort of fun." Marshall gave him a dark look as he closed the door behind him, which wiped the smile off of Finley's face.

"I come in peace … sort of. So I heard you and Corrine had a little … falling out? Want me to help?"

"I don't see how you could help," Marshall replied. "Any news on Josie and Lucas?"

"It's winding down. I say give it … twenty minutes. Right now I'm more worried about you two. Why aren't you talking to Corrine?"

"I never said I wasn't," Marshall replied. "I'm just a little irritated with her. Sometimes she wants things to be perfect so much that she pushes everyone around her."

"I know," Finley said, sitting on Lucas' bed. "She'll tone the perfection down eventually. But answer me, if she's so frustrating, why do you like her?"

"Is it that obvious?" Marshall asked.

Finley wanted to point out he was from the future, but then thought better of it. "I'm just intuitive," He replied.

"I don't know why I like her. I just do," Marshall said. "I messed up earlier, though. Corrine probably hates me."

"You know, you people have no confidence in yourselves. Where are the people I know? You two are perfect for each other! You both have different interests, but those interests are also similarly linked that you have respect and understanding for each one. Are you going to let a petty misunderstanding keep you from the girl you like?" Finley asked.

"Why does that sound like some cheesy line from a movie?" Marshall asked.

"Focus here! I'm being serious, Marshall, and you need to be serious too. Do you, or do you not like Corrine?"

"I do!" Marshall exclaimed. "I like her, I like her voice, I like talking to her, I like just being around her, I like -."

"And I get the picture … and am a _little_ grossed out. But I'll save that for another conversation. If you like Corrine so much, tell her," Finley said.

"And what if she doesn't feel the same way?"

"Oh, for crying out loud. You're going to let that stop you?"

"No."

"Good. Now I want you to go to Corrine's room and ask her out. And bring flowers."

"Where am I going to get flowers?" Marshall demanded.

"Pick a couple from outside. No one will notice. Besides, is Corrine, or is she not, worth it?" Finley asked.

Marshall raised his eyebrows. "Why are you being so pushy on this?"

"Just trying to help out," Finley replied.

Marshall gave him a soft smile. "Thanks. Wish me luck."

"You don't need it … you'll do fine," Finley told him.

"Right," Marshall said. He thanked Finley again before walking quickly out of the door. Finley stood and glanced out the window.

"Now just stick to the original story line and no more interruptions - everything will be just perfect. Well, now that I've begun a long road of happiness for Mom and Dad, I think I deserve a soda."

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"Book, book, where's the book?" Douglas asked himself, searching through the shelves of the Blake Holsey library. He stood on his toes, searching through all the titles featured before him, none the one he was looking for. His Grandmother had told him to make the best out of what he knew. Well he knew his parents had been in the shadow plane for exactly four hours and twenty minutes, and that time was drawing to an end. He also knew that in the original timeline Professor Z had gone into the book and pulled the two out. That obviously wasn't going to happen now, which left Douglas to the job. If only he could find a copy of that dang book. He fell back to his feet, and then quickly moved out of the library, turning down to the basement. Hey, if the original copies had been down there, what's to say there wasn't another copy?

A year of experience had taught Douglas not to intrude in the janitor's office, but desperate times called for desperate measures. It was without a doubt that there would be a copy of the book down there. The janitor had everything. Not too surprisingly, there it was, lying open on the janitor's bed.

"He'll understand," Douglas muttered out loud. He slowly brought the book up to his face, closed his eyes thoughtfully, and then pulled it open, towards the last chapter. "Here goes nothing." With this he began to read.

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Corrine paced around her bedroom uncertainly. She was beginning to regret allowing Finley to talk to Marshall. What if he didn't come? She'd done as he'd suggested, switching into a light blue dress that she had in the very back of her closet from an old dance. She felt flustered, her fingers kept moving. She was a little surprised at how nervous she was. It was pointless to lie to herself anymore. She liked Marshall, and she was hoping that he would show up, hoping that he liked her as well.

She almost jumped when she heard the knock at the door, but she managed to keep her nerves calm. She took in two deep breaths, and then moved towards the door, pulling it open to reveal Marshall, his hands nervously behind his back. He gave her a quick smile before clearing his throat.

"Eh, hi," he said.

She smiled back at him. "Hi."

"I'm, uh …" He pulled a small bouquet of flowers out from behind his back and handed them to Corrine, who took them carefully into her hands. "I'm sorry – about earlier."

"So am I," Corrine said quickly, looking at the flowers and then Marshall. "I guess I was just under some stress. I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

"And I'm sorry I said I never wanted to see you again. I really do – want to see you again."

Corrine laughed. "I want to see you, too," She said.

"So … do you want to see a movie or something this weekend?" Marshall asked.

"Sounds great," Corrine said. She quickly bent over and gave Marshall a peck on the cheek. "Thanks for the flowers."

Marshall blushed lightly. "No problem," He replied. "Want o go and get some dinner?"

"Sure!" Corrine exclaimed. Marshall gave her his hand, and she took it. Then the two walked down the hall together.

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_Josie leaned into Lucas' kiss, surprised at how warm his lips were. She couldn't help but feel like she could stay there forever; and Lucas himself was in heaven. The only thing that tore the couple apart was the soft cough from two feet away._

Douglas' nose was wrinkled up when Josie and Lucas looked at him. Josie raised her eyebrows, while Lucas had the mind to turn pink.

"Okay," Douglas said slowly, leaning against the doorway. "Now that I'm officially scarred for life … not that I haven't seem people do it before, but that's just gross. Could you save the big kiss scene for when I'm gone?"

Josie crossed her arms over her chest. "No one said you had to show up at that exact time," She told him.

"Uhh, yeah, they did. _You two_ are ready to come back home."

"You can get us out of here?" Lucas asked, surprised.

"Sure, just open the door," Douglas replied. He glanced at the "EXIT" door, shook his head, and then moved back out into the hallway. Josie and Lucas exchanged a glance, and then followed quickly behind him.

"Wait a minute," Josie said, grabbing onto Douglas' shoulder as he walked passed her. "You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?"

"Cliff notes?" Douglas suggested. "My friends and I are from a few years in the future, we're the new generation of science club. We know everything about you because Professor Z told us. More importantly, _we_ can't go back until _you_ guys are back." Hey, a lot of that was true. It was just an edited version of what was _really_ going on.

"I _knew_ you came from the wormhole!" Lucas exclaimed.

Douglas grinned at him. "Let me say now, it's been great getting to re-know you." He licked his lips, toying with the idea of warning Lucas now not to go through the wormhole in twenty four years. In fact, he wanted to say something so badly, he would probably burst. This was his one chance to say something without the others knowing. But then he thought about what his father going through had meant to everyone else, and he turned away, biting back to comment. He swallowed hard, and then moved down the hallways.

"Ahem. The key to the Shadow Plane is all in the mind. All the crazy things you saw here were oddities that in ways represented the inner workings of your mind. It's all some pretty deep stuff that I wouldn't dwell too much on. Your desire to go home had been here all along … you just needed to know where to find it." He stopped in front of a door, Lucas and Josie behind him - holding hands. "You ready?"

"I just want to go back to civilization," Josie said.

"Alright then, here goes." Douglas took hold of the brass doorknob, and slowly turned it, wanting to keep suspense high. Then, he gave the door a soft push, and stepped inside, disappearing into the blinding white light. Josie and Lucas quickly followed behind him …

The three reappeared in a mess on the floor. "You're crushing my liver," Douglas grunted to Josie.

"Oops, sorry."

"My arm," Lucas muttered with pain, holding his injured arm which had unfortunately collided with the floor upon their return. Douglas and Josie stood up, Josie proceeding to help Lucas up. The three looked around for a few moments. Slowly, Josie took the book into her hand and looked it over.

"Is it safe to finish reading?" She asked Douglas.

"Yeah, you guys don't need to be locked away in there again," Douglas told her.

"Good. That place was beginning to creep me out," Lucas said.

Douglas chuckled. "You haven't seen anything yet. Come on, we need to see if everything's been fixed for the others."

"What do you mean?" Josie asked, sounding surprised.

Douglas stared ahead of him, before tilting his head to the side with an amused expression. "_Well_…"

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Back in Professor Z's office Vaughn slipped into unconsciousness for a few moments, and then sat up, feeling better than he had in days.

AN: KK, just the epilogue left, guys! Hey, I'm planning a sequel, if anyone wants it. Here's the summary: Not too long ago three strangers visited Blake Holsey High. Now, back in their proper time, they are in need of help. Everyone is surprised, however, when that help comes from a red head from 2004. Will Josie help the new Science Club, or will she only get herself stuck in the future?

Let me know what you think! Epilogue will be up tomorrow


	8. Chapter 7

AN: Well, since you asked, Carshall, Madison isn't Jovee's mother. I thought about actually having her mother be someone everyone would know, but then changed my mind against it. So Jovee's Mother is actually just someone Vaughn meets with when they get out of school. You'll probably find out a little more about her in the sequel, if you guys want me to give ya a sequel. I need positive notes on that, guys.

EPILOGUE

After leaving the basement, Josie, Lucas, and Douglas had found Finley watching Corrine and Marshall in the cafeteria – their fingers interlaced as they spoke happily to each other. Josie and Lucas had each gone to their best friends, and happily spoke about what had been happening since the last they'd seen of each other.

Once caught up, Finley and Douglas had filled the quartet in on how Vaughn and Jovee were in Z's office, waiting for them. They all agreed it was time to fill Vaughn in on what had happened.

Everyone was a little surprised to open the door and see Jovee, Vaughn, and Z all playing Twister on the floor.

"Hey, guys," Vaughn said, giving a little wave, which caused the group to collapse to the floor laughing.

"Okay, _this_ is something I'm going to miss," Jovee giggled, crawling away from the group and standing up. Z and Vaughn followed.

"Looks like you guys have been having a good time," Corrine replied.

Vaughn glanced at Marshall and Corrine's locked hands, and smiled. "Finally. I thought you guys were never going to hook up."

"So did we," Josie admitted.

"Lucas and Josie?" Vaughn asked, looking a little surprised, but not too upset. Douglas wrapped his arms over Josie and Lucas' shoulders, and leaned forward.

"That's just the way it goes," He said with a grin.

Professor Z adjusted his glasses. "Is everything … fixed?" he asked.

"Josie and Lucas are back from the Shadow Plane. Corrine and Marshall can't read each other's minds … All that's left is to get us home," Finley said.

"How do you propose we do that?" Jovee asked; her hands on her hips.

Corrine closed the door behind her, and stepped further into the room. "We need the wormhole to open up," She said slowly.

"Even if it opens up, there's no guarantee they'll end up in their own timeline," Lucas pointed out.

"Jovee can move the wormhole to her suiting," Finley said. "If we can find a way to open it up, she can get us home."

"Hopefully," Jovee added uncertainly.

"I'm sure you can do it," Douglas said, giving Jovee a small, reassuring smile, even if he wasn't sure himself. No need to let Jovee know that, though.

Finley seemed thoughtful. "We could … wait for it to open on its own," he suggested.

"That might _never_ happen," Jovee grumbled.

"Now you know that's not true," Douglas said. He gave a quick shrug. "The wormhole will open up the day we disappear."

"That's not funny, Dufus," Jovee snapped.

"I thought it was," Corrine said, not bothering to hide her smile.

"Maybe the janitor will know," Josie suggested.

"He's helped enough," Jovee said. She thought for a few minutes. _Analyze all situations before jumping in_. She glanced around. Had everything here been taken care of? As far as she was aware. So what was there left to do? She looked at Josie and Lucas, then Marshall and Corrine. Finally, Vaughn, Douglas, Z and Finley. Everyone was here. She pondered for a few minutes, before looking to Z.

"What's the date?" She asked slowly, trying to sound casual.

"The fifth of April, why?" Z replied.

Jovee's eyes dawned with understanding. "The fifth of April," She repeated, looking to Douglas. "Twenty-four years from now your Dad will -."

She never finished her sentence, however, as the trio were sucked back into the wormhole.

Vaughn frowned, looking around. "I wonder what that was all about," he said, moving towards where the wormhole had been moments before.

Marshall grinned. "I have a feeling one day we'll find out."

…

AN: Alright, crappy ending, I know, but that's it … for now. Anyhoo, the sequel will delve more into the future Science Club, but there will be Josie, of course, and some flashbacks to present time. Just let me know what you want!


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